Growing Up
by xxGUSHINESSxx
Summary: Five years after the Titans have split up, Beast Boy attends Nightwing and Starfire's wedding; only to find everyone around him has settled down. Except him. And the half-demon he still occasionally talks to via communicator. Witness the Titans' story of reconnection as they navigate growing up, marriage, and parenthood. BBRae, minor RobStar and CySarah. Complete.
1. Solo

**Author's Note:**

 _Thank you to all of my readers who have supported my previous stories. Hopefully this one does not disappoint. Please take the time to review, even if it's just to say hello. It makes all the hours I've put into this story worth it._

 _Note:_ _This is NOT a sequel to my story "After Things Change," but the timeline of the story will be after the ending of "After Things Change" when the Titans finally go their separate ways._

 _Finally, keep an eye out for my author's notes, especially during the last few chapters of this Fanfiction. I have no immediate plans to start a new story after this one, but I highlight some ideas I have, and I will also be taking requests for BBRae and RobStar fics. So start brainstorming!_

 _Finally, updates will be every few days instead of almost daily. I apologize, but work and travel make internet access spotty. On to the story!_

~0~0~0~

The rain wasn't so bad, once you got used to it.

Of course, it certainly helped if one had a thick coat to keep oneself warm, even if the freezing precipitation came from a place as frigid as Norway. It wasn't exactly pleasant weather to travel in, especially if a traveller's goal was to hike up several hundred feet into a Norwegian mountainside in search of shelter.

Green hooves wedged themselves into the rock, clipping the stone and leaping from ledge to ledge with the grace of a ballerina. When the mountain threatened to crumble beneath his feet, the animal shifted, compensating for what he could not accomplish in his previous form. Even someone who maneuvered the cliff side as expertly as he, needed to rest sometime.

He found the familiar crack in the stone, turning into a small mouse in order to wriggle his way through the opening. Once he had moved several feet deeper, the cave opened up in a small, delightful circle, big enough to accommodate his natural form.

The conditions outside may have been tough, but Garfield Logan was used to such things.

Once the shape shifter had returned to his human form, he rolled his shoulders, letting out a content grunt as he felt the muscles in his back ripple and pop. He placed a hand over his stomach, still gorged from the nonpoisonous berries he had consumed earlier. Examining his arms, he frowned as he noticed a smudge of oil on his sleeve, left behind from the sludge monster he had fought earlier. Dampening his finger, he scrubbed hard until the stain faded, and the colors of his red and white uniform shown through again.

Sitting down on the floor of the cave, Gar moved a small rock to the side and pulled out the backpack he had stored since he had first arrived to the hollow. Knowing he would probably be in Norway for a few more days, he would make sure to return the backpack to its designated place until he was ready to move on.

Settling in for the evening, Gar reached one hand into the backpack, searching for something. His heightened hearing was able to pick up the sounds of the rain beginning to lighten outside his shelter. He let out a satisfied noise as his fingers closed around the circular object he was searching for, and he pulled it out of his pack immediately. Running his thumb over the giant faded 'T' in the center of the communicator; Gar flipped the cover upwards and tapped into a familiar signal.

"Beast Boy," that delightfully sardonic voice answered. Gar grinned. He hadn't used the alias in years, preferring to go by 'Changeling' now, but every once in a while she would great him with that name, just for old times sake.

"Miss me?" he asked cheekily.

" _You're_ the one who always calls _me_ , remember?"

"But you like it when I call you; admit it Rae," he said, folding an arm behind his head.

"I'll never admit it."

Gar brought the screen closer so she could see his pout. She glared back at him, her violet eyebrows sharpening ever so slightly. After a moment she rolled her eyes, deciding to appease him.

"Out loud."

Gar's smile grew. "That's all I needed to hear."

"Where are you this time?" Raven asked, switching topics.

"Bergen, Norway. It's way colder than I thought it would be."

Raven raised her eyebrows. "It's _Norway._ Of course it's cold."

"Well I know that _now."_

He thought he saw a ghost of a smile appear on her gray lips. "I see you're trying out a new hairstyle. It's dreadful."

"It's just totally soaked. Funny, I thought you'd like anything better than my usual hair."

"Well, congratulations. You've found the exception."

Gar chuckled, shifting on the cave floor. He liked when they got to talk like this. It reminded him of the good old days when everything was more…consistent.

"I actually ran into Red Star," Gar continued.

"Oh really?"

"We didn't talk or anything, he just sent me one of those seriously intimidating nods when I was passing through one of the villages. He must have been tracking the same thing I was. I wish I'd gone over and said something to him."

The signal became a little fuzzy before clearing up again. "Why didn't you?" Raven inquired, resting her chin on her hand.

Gar shrugged. "It's not like we were ever really close. I guess I don't mind that much it's just…" he trailed off, not sure how to articulate what he meant.

"Out with it, Gar," she prodded.

He sighed. "I guess I just miss being on a team." He paused, waiting for her reply, but nothing came. "Raven?"

"I'm here," she replied.

"Well? Do you ever miss it?" Gar questioned, flipping over onto his stomach.

Raven hesitated. "I miss seeing my friends every day."

"Me too," Gar said, smiling softly. "Do you ever talk to Nightwing and Star? They still in Bludhaven?"

"Yes, and I did talk to them once. Not too long ago. Other than that I haven't." She paused. "What about you? Do you ever talk to Cyborg?"

"I tried last month. He's always busy. League stuff I guess," he told her, shrugging. He smirked. "Who'd of thought that out of everyone _we'd_ be pen pals?"

"I'm going to let that one go."

Gar laughed. He rested his cheek on his hand, wishing, not for the first time, that the communicator provided better quality so he could actually get a good look at her. He could tell that her hair had gotten a little longer, and maybe her features had sharpened. It was too hard to know for sure just by looking at her through a screen.

"I'm glad you called actually," Raven said, surprising him. She almost never admitted she enjoyed their chats. "There's something I need to tell you. About when I talked to Nightwing and Starfire."

"What's up?" he questioned; his interest thoroughly peaked.

"Just…don't overreact, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell me already!" he urged, annoyed that she would even think to say that.

Raven stared at him. "Starfire's pregnant."

"What?!" Gar gasped, and then proceeded to choke on his own spit. He coughed violently, banging his chest.

"I can hear you overreacting."

"I'm fine, I'm totally fine," Gar said, regaining his breath. "Wow. I mean _wow._ How did that happen?"

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Surely I don't have to go into the specifics."

A thin blush dusted the green hero's cheeks. "Not that. I mean, I thought they weren't, like, a match or whatever."

"They weren't. That's why it was so unexpected. Apparently Galfore found someone on Tamaran that was the equivalent to an obstetrician on Earth," Raven explained. When Gar stared at her blankly, she gave him a deadpan look. "A baby doctor," she clarified.

"Oh. Huh. So, guess they're gonna move the wedding up?" Gar asked.

Raven nodded. "It was Bruce's suggestion. Better for the heroic image to be wed before Starfire starts showing, and with her Tamaranean genes who knows when that will be?"

Beast Boy nodded. Nightwing and Starfire's relationship was always huge in the media. No doubt there would be a feeding frenzy when the tabloids found out she was with child. It was probably best to keep it on the down low. "When are they moving it to?"

"Two weeks from now."

"Dude! That's, like, so soon!" Gar said.

Raven smirked. "Very observant."

Gar ignored her. "Where are you right now?" he asked, suddenly very excited. "Maybe we could meet up in a couple of days and head to Jump together. They're still having it in Jump right?"

"Yes they are," Raven said slowly, "but you should go there on your own. I'm in Southeast Asia studying at a new temple. I won't be done until later in the week."

"Oh, okay," Gar said, hoping his voice didn't betray the disappointment he felt. He hadn't seen Raven, or really any of them, in person for almost five years. The last time all five Titans had been in the same room was when Cyborg had married Sarah, a few months after the team had split up. Ever since then, everyone had been living separate lives.

Except for these brief moments when Gar could talk to Raven.

"I should go. I'll see you soon," Raven told him, the corner of her mouth quirking upwards the tiniest bit.

"Yeah, okay. See you, Rae," he responded, returning her smile. The transmission ended, and Gar rolled over onto his back, staring at the stalagmites above him. He wasn't tired anymore. He thought, not for the first time, about the possibility of the team getting back together. Maybe this new reunion could make that happen. His brain buzzed with excitement. His skin felt electric.

He knew it would take him at least a couple of days for him to cross over into the States again. Hell, he was situated at pretty much the farthest possible location he could be from Jump City. Because of this reality, Gar made the executive decision to fly via aircraft, rather than attempt the journey himself. Besides, it's not like the ticket would be a heavy burden on his wallet. Being a hero did have its advantages after all.

The next morning, Gar re-dug the tunnel, which had allowed him to slip his backpack through, before crawling out himself. The weather was still crisp, but white sunlight greeted him instead of frigid rain. Things were looking up.

Even as he boarded the plane destined for Southern California, Gar thought about changing flights to Asia, just to surprise Raven. Thankfully he had a little more foresight in his early twenties than he had as a teenager, for he didn't even know her exact location. Raven was always vague when she talked about where she went to temple. Maybe because she suspected he would try to visit her if he knew where she was. If so, she was right.

As he made his way to his seat, he smiled as the other passengers stared at him and pointed. Having green skin and saving civilians made him somewhat of a celebrity. Gar sat down in his window seat, glancing out onto the tarmac. He was actually glad for the long duration of the flight; it had been several days since he had lain in a cushioned seat and to be honest, he could use the sleep.

When the captain's voice came over the speaker system, Gar buckled his seatbelt and rested his head back, his eyes already shutting. In eleven hours, he would be back at one of the few places he had called home.

~0~0~0~

Gar recalled years ago when he and his friends had returned to their beloved city after fighting the Brotherhood of Evil for sixth months. The city had changed, as if it had kept growing while they were gone. To a small degree, it felt as if they had never lived there to begin with.

Walking down the streets of Jump now, reading the names of unfamiliar businesses in familiar settings, Gar felt how he had back then, but tenfold. It was strange, revisiting a place that was caught between memory and reality.

To his surprise, most people walked by without a second glance at him. Heroes came and went, he supposed. Nothing really unusual about that.

While he waited at a crosswalk, he heard a small gasp beside him. Turning his head, Gar made eye contact with a group of teenagers, definitely old enough to remember when he and the other Titans had lived there.

"Beast Boy," a dark skinned boy with bad acne spoke, his lips turning up in a smile. "You're back."

Gar returned his smile, finding he didn't have the heart to correct him.

He wandered the streets for a couple more hours, revisiting the old comic book store and pizzeria he used to frequent. For some reason, Gar thought he would be happier than he was. It's not that he didn't enjoy being back, but the excitement he had felt earlier seemed to fade into more of a bittersweet feeling.

The sky was just starting to turn red in the promise of a sunset when Gar's feet finally led him to the bay. The lowering sun sent sparkles of light across the water top, coloring the ripples in shades of warmth. His eyes settled on the 'T' shaped building in the distance. From where he was, he couldn't see any of the windows lit up, but then again it still was fairly early. Taking a deep breath, Gar transformed into a falcon, using his talons to carry the small sack he had brought with him.

When he hovered over the roof of the Tower, he released his grasp on the backpack, and it fell unceremoniously onto the concrete. Changing back to his original form, Gar dropped down easily, picking up the bag by one of its straps and slinging it over his shoulder. He meandered over to the door that led to the inside of the Tower. He hesitated, his arm outstretched for only a moment, before his hand tugged on the metal knob. With one final breath, he entered the place he had not been inside of for over five years.

He navigated the winding hallways of the Tower as seamlessly as he did when he still lived there. He stopped in front of his door, noticing how his name engraving had collected a fine layer of dust. He reached out and traced over the letters with his thumb.

 _Beast Boy._

He was sure Cyborg would change the engraving for him if he asked, but he kind of liked it the way it was. Pressing the button to the left, the door opened swiftly, allowing Gar to step inside.

The room was pretty much empty, save for his old bunk bed. _This is probably the cleanest it's ever been,_ he thought with a smirk. Moving further into the room, he dropped his backpack by the foot of his bed, continuing to gaze around as he did so. He couldn't believe he was going to be spending the next two weeks here again.

When the Titans had first split up, Cyborg had left to join the Justice League, and Nightwing had gone to Bludhaven. Both locations were on the other side of the country, so it wasn't like they could have commuted from the Tower. Although the split had been pretty official, Gar, Raven and Starfire had spent one more month together in the Tower, as they searched for various opportunities for themselves.

Gar had found Starfire to be a surprisingly strong leader. Her patient hand and excellent advice mixed with her ferocity in battle made quite the combination. She had eventually decided to leave for Tamaran for six months in order to reconnect with Galfore and her people. Gar remembered how concerned Nightwing had been, but Starfire had silenced his worries with a reminder that Earth would always be her true home. The two had agreed to take a brief romantic break while Nightwing rediscovered himself as a solo hero, but as soon as she had returned they seemed to pick up right where they had left off. Starfire moved to Bludhaven shortly after her return.

At least, that's what Gar had heard. He hadn't had any direct contact with Starfire or Nightwing since the former had returned to Tamaran, so the details were just hearsay.

Nightwing and he had never been very close in terms of their personalities. They had a strong friendship, and would certainly take a bullet for the other in a second, but it didn't surprise Gar when they didn't communicate after the split. From what he had heard, Nightwing had stayed in Gotham with Batman and the newest Robin, a kid by the name Tim Drake, before officially moving a few cities over to Bludhaven.

He had talked to Cyborg via communicator a total of four times since the split. He felt a little proud that he had been the first of the team to know Cyborg had proposed to Sarah. They had all reconvened for the two's wedding three months after everyone had left. Starfire had made sure to briefly return to Earth just for the occasion. After the wedding, Gar thought things might return to normal, that maybe everyone would decide they were great as a team, and the Titans would reconnect. Needless to say, he was mistaken. Pretty soon after the wedding, Cyborg became very involved in League missions, and Gar all but lost communication with his best friend.

Raven was another story.

Talking with her frequently had started as an accident. She had mistakenly called him one night two weeks after Cyborg and Sarah's wedding, and he had been so flattered she had reached out that he didn't even think to question the random timing. Once she had explained the call was unintentional he had deflated, but his spirits rose again as she inquired about his well being. The conversation had taken off from there.

They spoke about twice a week ever since that day. He was always the one who called her, but he could tell she looked forward to their conversations almost as much as he did. She, unlike the rest of the team, had decided to use her free time studying various religions, namely Buddhism, rather than fighting crime. That's not to say she didn't take out a baddy every once in a while if the situation called for it. She had to keep her skills fresh after all. Gar had asked why she hadn't chosen to do solo hero work as some of their other friends had. Raven had replied that it wasn't the same without a team, and that no one would even know her as well as the Titans.

He couldn't really argue with that.

When he had first left Jump City, Gar had chosen to do freelance team hero work. He worked with Titans' East for a bit, then switched over to help Hotspot and then Argent for a couple of months. He even stayed with Kole and Gnarrk for three weeks. Eventually Gar realized that trying to replace one team by joining another was not working. Everything just felt off, so he switched to solo work. He travelled the globe, occasionally running into other former Titans, and helping in any way he could. He liked his life, he really did.

But he always felt like something was missing.

Gar straightened up as he heard a small noise coming from the ops room, successfully dragging him out of his thoughts. Exiting his room, Gar made his way down the hallway and into the common room where he had played endless hours of video games with Cyborg. Glancing around the area now, he found the space to be empty.

That was odd. He was sure his ears had picked up-

"EEEE!" a voice squealed to his right, and seconds later an orange figure slammed into him, wrapping her arms around his torso and squeezing until he begged for mercy. "Oh Friend, it is _wonderful_ to see you!" Starfire cried, crushing him to her chest.

"Star…please…can't breathe…" the green hero gasped, and a moment later the Tamaranean released him.

"My apologies, it has just been far too long!" Starfire said, clasping her hands together. Gar noticed how her hair had grown longer and thicker. Her figure had filled out more, and she no longer wore her usual uniform. Her top had extended to a tightfitting long sleeve cropped shirt with circular gaps along the tops of her shoulders. Her mini-skirt had been replaced with tight, spandex shorts.

"Yeah, it has been," Gar agreed.

"You have grown taller!" Starfire observed, landing on the ground so they could compare heights. She was still clearly taller than him, but Gar was content with coming up to her cheekbone. "Your hair is a little longer as well. That is a very popular 'do' I have seen."

Gar grinned. He prided himself on his hair, _especially_ since it hadn't started thinning yet, like that future version of himself Starfire had seen. It was shorter on the sides and slightly longer on the top, giving him a very clean and polished look.

"Are you the only one here?" he asked.

Starfire shook her head. "Nightwing and Cyborg are also in the city. They should be-" she halted her speech as the ops doors slid open, revealing the two heroes carrying enough pizzas to feed a small village. They placed the boxes onto the kitchen table before their eyes rested on Gar. Their faces lit up immediately.

"Garfield, my man!" Cyborg boomed, coming over and clapping Gar on the back while shaking his hand. "Good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Vic," Gar replied, laughing. He turned to Nightwing and shook the other man's hand. "Dick, glad to see you, Dude."

"You as well, Beast Boy," Nightwing responded, then shook his head. "Changeling, sorry. Takes some getting used to." When Gar waved off his apology, Nightwing smiled. "Welcome home, Gar." The black-cladded hero went over to stand by his fiancée, now eye level with him, and gave her a small peck on the lips.

"Congratz you guys. I mean it," Gar said, gesturing to the couple. "You know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"

Starfire beamed. "I am only one month along, but it does not matter. We have agreed to allow it to be a surprise!"

Gar smiled. "Cool. I'm totally gonna be the best uncle ever!"

"That's what you think, BB," Cyborg said, ruffling the shape shifter's hair. Gar frowned at hearing his old alias for the third time that day, but he shook it off. The cybernetic man paused, glancing at the time on his forearm. "When's Raven supposed to get here?"

"She informed me this morning that she will be arriving after dinner tonight," Starfire told them.

 _Guess she decided to postpone the rest of her studies after all,_ Gar thought, pleased with this new information.

"Well then," Nightwing said, coming over to where the pizzas were. "That gives us a few hours to catch up until she gets here." He glanced up at his other friends, looking more relaxed and happy than Gar had ever seen him. "Who's hungry?"

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _I'm going to try to make each chapter at least 3,500 words. Sometimes they will be longer depending on where I want the chapter to end._

 _Starfire and Gar's new look can be found simply by googling their names and going to images. I decided to have them look like the more adult versions of themselves in the comics, but the more updated versions rather than the ones from the 80's. Same with Nightwing and Raven's look._

 _Next chapter, Gar sees Raven in person for the first time in almost five years! Not to mention fun wedding planning things, and the return of some beloved characters._


	2. Appearances

**Author's Note:**

 _When it comes to the main Titans' children, I am very nitpicky. I really like to keep the little things like that cannon because I find, if say, someone wrote that Nightwing and Starfire had a boy named 'Paul' or something, it takes me out of the story._

 _That being said I find it very hard to believe that Raven and Beast Boy wouldn't have children at some point. I'm sure Raven would have some apprehensions, but with the way she took care of her kids in "Hide in Seek" mixed with Beast Boy's personality, I firmly believe they would become parents._

 _Do you think they would have a girl? A boy? Twins? Would they name their children after their parents? (Sans Trigon of course) Or would they come up with original names? I'm curious as to what my readers think!_

 _Btw, you should totally check out Shock777 on Deviantart. She does some great work with drawings about what she thinks Gar and Raven's son and daughter would look like. It's very convincing!_

~0~0~0~

It was the first time in years Gar felt completely at home. Reconnecting with his old friends, exchanging stories about their individual adventures, it was remarkable. How could such four different people find themselves together again after all this time? And how could everything and nothing have changed?

As Cyborg regaled them with the story of when Sarah met Martian Manhunter for the first time, Gar took the opportunity to study the changes in his friends' appearances.

Cyborg had probably changed the least out of all of them. Gar supposed that came with being half-robot. That being said, the cybernetic hero had received some astounding hardware updates upon joining the League. His robotic limbs were slimmer and sleeker now, giving him a body type resembling more closely to a jacked up human male.

Nightwing had definitely gotten taller, still not quite as tall as Starfire, but she had that alien heritage on him. His shoulders were broader, more muscular, and his hair was parted differently. No longer was it spiked with cheap hair gel, rather it was slicked in a way that reminded Gar of those men in chick flicks with the chiseled jawlines. Not that he had seen any chick flicks.

Other than the changes he had already noticed about Starfire, Gar observed the fullness of her cheeks, and the rippling muscles in her arms. It appeared Nightwing wasn't the only one who had gotten ripped.

"…Guess you could say Sarah was looking over her shoulder a lot after that," Cyborg finished his story, laughing. The others joined in, but they were silenced moments after when Starfire's communicator beeped.

"Ooo! Raven has arrived!" she exclaimed, picking up the device from the kitchen table and attaching it to her waistband. "Come Friends, we must go and greet her!"

They all rose from the table and exited ops, heading in the direction of the Tower's roof. It wasn't until they started passing by all of their old rooms when Gar realized his heart was pounding. He was suddenly nervous. It had been different with the others. He hadn't communicated with them nearly as much. There were no expectations, no questions as to how they would regard each other when they were reunited. Would Raven acknowledge their talks? Would she still speak to him in that same lighthearted, teasing manner she had when they were thousands of miles apart?

Gar discovered he would not have time to try and figure out answers to these questions, for suddenly he and his old teammates were climbing the metal stairs to the roof.

A gust of warm evening air hit Gar as he emerged from the Tower. The sky was painted in faded purples and blues as dusk settled over the city. On the horizon a million tiny lights winked at him. And there she was.

She stood by the edge of the Tower, her hood pulled down to reveal the gray heart shaped face he had known since he was a teenager. Her hair fell to her shoulders, the longest he had ever seen her willingly wear it. Her uniform was mostly unchanged except her booties had been replaced with black boots that rose to her upper thigh. When her cloak shifted as she walked towards them, Gar also noticed that like Starfire's uniform, there were small gaps revealing the very tops of Raven's shoulders. Maybe shoulders were 'in' now.

"Raven!" Starfire cheered, rushing over to her female friend and crushing the poor girl as she had to him. Raven allowed the redhead to embrace her for a few moments before tapping out.

Nightwing approached her next, giving her a brief but tender hug. Cyborg gripped her shoulder affectionately, leaning down to kiss her cheek. Gar stood where he was, suddenly feeling more like a deer in the headlights than he ever had as an actual _deer._

Raven's eyes finally settled on him, her face unreadable. "Beast Boy," she said, and he smiled, knowing she was the only one to say it completely on purpose. The corner of her mouth turned up in the faintest smirk. A knowing smirk.

The others looked to her in confusion at how she had addressed him, but for Gar it dashed all of his fears into oblivion. Moving forwards, he flung his arms around her and pressed her to him. Her body was tense as it always was when she received a hug, but she drew an arm around him and patted his upper back, a small victory in its own. Gar stepped away from her, grinning broadly.

"Long time no see, Rae," he said, staring down at her for once.

She raised an eyebrow, her gray lips still in that playful smirk. "Yes. It is."

Gar would have liked a moment alone with her, if only to recreate their conversations in person this time, but he knew the others were just as eager to talk to her as he was.

After the initial greetings had been said, the former Titans made their way down to return to ops. Along the way Raven graced them with some vague details of her adventures, all the while Gar felt a little smug that she hadn't say anything he didn't already know. The way the five of them sat now, just talking and laughing as if nothing had changed, gave Gar that hope again that maybe there would be a chance for them to be a team once more. Eventually, after everyone had properly caught up, the conversation shifted to Nightwing and Starfire's upcoming wedding.

"Bruce found a nice outdoor venue near the Jump City Bay," Nightwing explained. "We might even get a nice view of the Tower," he added, smiling at his fiancée.

"Many of our friends have been very accommodating with the rescheduling of our matrimony," Starfire continued. "We have kept my pregnancy on 'the down low' so as not to alert the presses."

"That being said, it will probably be next to impossible to hide from the press the entire night," Nightwing said. "So we'll all just have to be sure to be on our best behavior." He sent a knowing glance at Gar.

The green hero raised his hands in defense. "Aw, come on. I'm mature now, remember?"

"At least until you hit the open bar," Cyborg teased. "Must be a big step for you, Gar. Just turned twenty-one, am I right?"

"Like three months ago," Gar grumbled, not liking being reminded that even after all this time, he was still the baby of the group.

"Oh I am not worried about the behaviors of Beast Boy," Starfire said, thankfully coming to his defense. She paused. "My apologies, I meant Changeling." She sent him a small smile. "I would however, like to do the dress shopping with my maids of brides and maid of the honor!" She beamed at Raven when she mentioned the later. "We shall spend hours finding you the perfect dress!"

"Great," Raven droned, causing Cyborg and Gar to snicker.

"Hey, what about me and Gar?" Cyborg asked Nightwing. "Don't us best men get any love?"

Nightwing smirked. "Sorry to disappoint, but I don't think we'll need to go shopping. Bruce already has some tuxes lined up for you. We have the measurements all squared away as well."

"Creepy," Gar muttered.

Cyborg checked his forearm and whistled when he realized the time. "Damn. It's later than I thought. I'm probably gonna hit the hay soon." He turned to Raven. "I can help you take your bags to your room if you wanted to get settled."

"I can do it," Gar offered, the response earning a raised eyebrow from Cyborg. Raven shrugged in response-an acceptance, Gar knew-before rising from the sofa. Gar got up with her, picking up her duffle bag. "Night guys."

"Night, Green Bean. Night, Rae."

"Good night, Gar, Raven. See you tomorrow."

"Pleasant _shlorvaks_ , Friends!" Starfire cried, giving both him and Raven one more crushing hug to take with them. All five Titans ended up leaving ops at once, but Gar and Raven split off from the rest of them as they travelled to her old room.

Now that Gar was finally alone with Raven, he found he had no idea what to say to her. They walked down the hallway, the atmosphere completely silent, save for the echoes of their footsteps.

"You…grew your hair out," he finally said, in a lame attempt to start conversation.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I did," she said in that familiar tone of hers.

Gar reddened at his foolish behavior. How could he talk to her so easily when they were miles apart? "So…pretty crazy about Nightwing and Star, huh? Having a kid and all?"

Raven nodded, but didn't offer any comment.

"They said it's too early to tell what it is," Gar continued, readjusting his grip on her duffle bag. He knew she could have levitated the bag herself, but hey, chivalry wasn't _entirely_ dead. "I wonder what it could be…their kid I mean."

"It's a girl," Raven said simply, causing Gar to sputter.

"Wha…How do you know?" he asked, flabbergasted.

He caught the corner of her mouth quirking upwards. "Sensing things is kind of my specialty."

"Right."

They came to a stop in front of her door. Raven pressed the button to the left and the barrier slid open. Using her powers, she took the bag from his hands and levitated it into her room. She turned to face him.

"Thank you for carrying my bag, Gar," she told him.

He grinned. "Still won't call me Changeling?" He knew the others may have had trouble adjusting to the name, but Raven was different. She knew better, yet she almost always avoided the name anyway.

She gave him a bland look. "Beast Boy is more fun to yell." She stepped backwards through her doorway, and Gar felt a wave of disappointment sweep over him. He wasn't sure what he had expected to come from their conversation, but he had at least hoped it would have lasted longer. Then again, she must have been tired from her travels; he sure was.

"Well, you can always practice screaming my name," he replied. She raised an eyebrow and it took a few seconds for Gar to realize the accidental innuendo. His face turned scarlet. "Uh…"

"Good night, _Changeling_ ," she said, her lips twitching in that way they did when she was trying not to smile. He was glad her door had shut immediately after, so she didn't have a change to notice the shiver that travelled up his spine.

The next morning Gar woke with a start from pounding on his door.

"Yo Gar! Rise and shine my man! The guys will be here soon," Cyborg's voice boomed from the hallway.

Gar groaned, choosing instead to roll over and cover his head with a pillow. It had to be ungodly early; he could just _feel_ it. There was no way he was getting up. Flash and the others would just have to wait.

Unfortunately for him, Cyborg had other plans. Not ten seconds had passed before the cybernetic hero barged into Gar's room and reached over, plucking him from the top bunk and dropping him on the ground. Gar rolled over and scratched his head and yawned, while also sending a glare at his friend.

"What the Hell's that for?" he complained, scratching his armpit next.

Cyborg shook his head and snorted. "Man it's like almost noon. Get your lazy, green butt out of bed and let's _go._ The girls already left to go dress shopping. Everyone's waiting on you."

"The guys are already here?" Gar asked, dazed.

Cyborg turned around, preparing to exit the green hero's room. "Yup, and if you ain't dressed in ten it'll be Nightwing that stops in next."

Gar's eyes widened. "Okay, okay I'm up!" he cried, not wanting to get lectured by his former leader. "I thought we didn't need to go tux shopping," he mumbled as an afterthought.

"We don't. Think of this as more of…a prequel to the bachelor party," Cyborg told him, a mischievous glint in his eye. Gar grinned back. This was gonna be fun.

"Alright, y'all, I got him," Cyborg announced in ops a few minutes later as he emerged with a dressed and showered Gar by his side.

Gar nearly fell over as a streak of red and yellow zipped up to him. Sure enough, there Flash was, living up to his name. "Beast Boy, good to see you, good to see you," the speedster said, shaking the shape shifter's hand rapidly.

"Flash, long time no see. And it's Changeling now, actually." Gar replied, laughing. He turned to the other groomsmen, greeting them individually. Speedy, now Arsenal, looked broader with a short curtain of red hair instead of his usual cropped do. The newest Robin, sixteen-year-old Tim Drake, was short and wiry. He had the kind of build that reminded Gar of himself when he was younger. "Arsenal, looking fresh. And Robin," he said, shaking the younger boy's hand. "Don't think we've met. It's cool to meet you."

"Likewise, Changeling," Robin replied, smiling warmly. "I've heard you're stealth in the field is outstanding."

Gar turned to Nightwing, grinning. "I like him already."

Nightwing rolled his eyes. "Alright. Let's just get this nightmare over with."

"What's he talking about?" Gar questioned, turning to Flash.

Flash's face split into a wide grin. "You haven't heard? We're taking Night Birdy _lingerie_ shopping."

Gar raised an eyebrow. "For…Starfire?"

Nightwing glowered while Arsenal burst out laughing. "He wishes."

The former turned to Robin. "You don't get to tell Bruce _or_ Babs about this."

"Hey don't look at me. My lips are sealed," Robin said, holding up his hands defensively. When Nightwing's gaze was elsewhere, Robin sent a quick wink in Gar's direction.

"Dude, I bet this kid could pull off some sick pranks," Gar muttered to Cyborg, causing the half-robot to chuckle.

"Well, what are we standing around with our dicks out for?" Flash asked crudely, smirking at Nightwing. "No pun intended of course."

"Yeah, yeah," Nightwing said, waving him off.

Gar grinned. Sometimes being a former Titan was just downright fun.

~0~0~0~

"Is it too late to see what the girls are doing?" Robin whispered to Gar as Nightwing was forced to model a pair of men's booty shorts. The poor hero had outright refused to try on any lingerie until Flash had threatened to call strippers for the bachelor party the next evening. Figuring that wouldn't be a good idea for either his or Cyborg's well being, Nightwing met Flash halfway with the skimpy shorts.

Gar grinned back. "Hey, at least it's not a man thong."

Robin shuddered. "Images I didn't need to picture."

Arsenal and Cyborg made whooping noises as Nightwing walked uncomfortably down the shop's makeshift runway, a feature that Flash thought was absolutely priceless.

"Come on, give us a turn!" Flash called out.

"You know Flash, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a thing for me," Nightwing said, a trace of amusement sneaking into his voice despite his situation.

"Damn straight!"

Nightwing rolled his eyes.

"I think you should try the purple one next," Gar suggested. "Need to represent those Tamaranean colors."

Nightwing sent a half-hearted glare in Gar's direction before turning around and retreating to his dressing room. Cyborg leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head.

"Never thought I'd see something like this," he mused, half in amusement, half in disgust.

"You're welcome," Flash said.

"What do you suppose the ladies are up to right now?" Arsenal asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Um, crying over each other's dresses?" Flash teased.

"That's sexist," Robin said, pointing a finger in Flash's direction.

"Least we know _you_ got some morals Kid," Cyborg said, clapping a hand on Robin's shoulder.

"Hey!" Flash replied, frowning.

Cyborg ignored him. "Speaking of dresses, I can't wait to see Sarah in hers. Bet she'll be looking fine."

"Heard Bee complaining that all the bridesmaids have to wear purple," Arsenal mentioned. "Said purple made her look like a grape the way she is right now. She's kinda right. Not that I would ever tell her that," he added hastily, clearly fearful of Bumblebee's wrath.

Gar chuckled. Bumblebee was heavily pregnant with her and Herald's first child. The two had gotten engaged two years ago, but had wanted to wait until their child was old enough to be in the wedding. Some people would argue that they were doing things a little out of order, but in Gar's opinion, those people could eat rocks.

"Hey hurry up in there, Nighty!" Flash called. Nightwing's hand moved under the dressing room door to flip Flash the bird, pun intended. Flash, unbothered by the rude gesture, joined in on the others' conversation. "Star's got a whole line of cuties in her entourage. Bee, Sarah, Babs, Raven…"

"Yeah, Raven's sneaky cute," Arsenal added.

"Dem legs though," Flash said, whistling.

Gar scuffed his boot against the ground uncomfortably. For some reason, listening to Raven being talked about in terms of her sex appeal made him feel weird. Cyborg must have felt the same, for he shut down the conversation real quick.

"Watch it boys, that's my 'lil sister you're talking about," he warned.

Thankfully the topic was dropped pretty quickly after that, for Nightwing emerged in a plum purple cup next. "This is the last one," he said adamantly.

Gar smirked as Robin leaned over to whisper, "That's what he thinks."

About an hour later the future groom and his groomsmen returned to the Tower, having bought none of the modeled items, to no one's surprise. The girls had gotten back early than they had, so Gar took the opportunity to greet the new arrivals.

Reconnecting with Sarah and Bee came naturally, but Gar had never met the famous Batgirl before. To be honest, he was a little intimidated by her confident smirk and firm handshake. Once he properly introduced himself though, she acted as if she had known him for years. Like he had for Robin, Gar also had a good feeling about her.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen would be staying in the Tower with the rest of the Titans until the wedding day. There were plenty of guest rooms in the Tower, but that didn't mean it wasn't going to get crowded. There would be six extra bodies to feed and share a bathroom with after all, but it was well worth it for such a happy occasion.

After everyone had exchanged small talk, Gar caught Raven slyly exiting ops when she probably thought no one had noticed. Feeling mischievous, he morphed into a mouse when everyone else was distracted and followed her out. She made it about halfway down the hallway when she stopped, and he knew he was found out. Morphing back into his original form, he approached her, smiling from ear to ear.

"Have fun dress shopping?" he asked cheekily.

She turned around, crossing her arms. "I'm sure you can answer that yourself."

Gar shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Do I get to see?"

"You'll see at the wedding," she replied, and continued walking in the direction of her room.

He jogged to catch up to her, falling in place beside her. "Anything interesting happen while you were out?"

"Interesting?"

"You know, spicy, juicy…that sort of thing."

She shook her head, but he suspected that was more due to his phrasing than anything else.

"Well?" he prompted.

She raised her eyebrows. " _You_ want to hear about dress shopping?"

"I'll listen to anything as long as you're the one saying it." He winced, knowing how cheesy he sounded. If she noticed, however, she didn't acknowledge it.

"Sarah told me that she and Cyborg are considering adopting," she said finally.

Gar's eyebrows shot to his forehead. "Really? That's so awesome!"

A soft smile appeared on Raven's face. "I thought so too."

"Do you think you would ever want to have them?" he asked, seemingly out of nowhere. "Kids, I mean?"

"No." The quickness of her response took him aback.

"R-Really? I just thought…" he trailed off, not really knowing what to say. It turned out he didn't really need to; they were already in front of her doorway.

"I need to meditate," she told him, opening her door.

"Oh, okay," Gar replied, feeling insanely stupid for asking such a ridiculous and personal question in the first place. "See you tomorrow then?"

"Maybe. The bachelorette party starts earlier than the bachelor party," she informed him, stepping through her doorway. "Good night, Gar."

"Night, Rae," Gar mumbled as the door shut in his face. He stood there for a few moments, trying to figure out why he felt unsatisfied with the way things were going with Raven. He had thought they would be closer than ever, especially since they had been in communication with each other for all that time. He knew a big part of it was that they were both pretty busy with preparing for Nightwing and Starfire's wedding, but even so, Gar wanted to spend more time with her before they went their separate ways again.

And so his personal mission was born.

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _Next chapter: Bachelor party and a more BB/Rae moments!_


	3. Bachelor

**Author's Note:**

 _Fun Fact: Did you know Beast Boy only used the alias Changeling for a brief period because Arsenal teased him about his name? Eventually he switched back to Beast Boy because he realized it was a better fit. Hmmm, maybe Raven knows something he doesn't by insisting on referring to him as Beast Boy?_

 _Special thanks to NostalgiaSucker96 for helping me mold this idea for his name!_

~0~0~0~

Gar smirked as he watched Raven struggle to fill her mug of morning herbal tea while weaving through a crowded kitchen. Personally, he didn't mind the noise and movement that came with their multiple houseguests, but he knew Raven wasn't exactly a people person. She gave a puff of exasperation as a splash of the hot water from her cup singed her hand when Arsenal accidently bumped into her. Gar knew she would bolt to her room as soon as she had grabbed a teabag, and he wanted to intercept her before that happened.

Morphing into a sparrow, the shape shifter flew to the other side of the counter and plucked a packet of herbs from the pile next to Bumblebee's heavily pregnant stomach. He then flew in front of Raven's face, making sure she saw he had her bounty, before flying out of ops. By the time she met him in the hallway with her mug, he had transformed back into a human and held the teabag out in his palm.

"Thanks," she said, taking the bag out of his hand and dunking it into her drink. She huffed, tucking a messy strand of hair behind her ear. "The sooner this wedding happens the better."

"What? You don't _like_ having the Tower completely packed?" he asked sarcastically. He gave her a small grin to let her know he was just teasing.

She rolled her eyes, then turned and began walking down the hallway. Gar stood in place, wondering whether or not she would mind if he followed her. He got his answer a few moments later when she paused, tilting her head in his direction. "You coming?"

Gar felt a fluttering in his chest. "Uh, yeah!"

The two eventually found themselves on the roof, the morning sun shedding its gentle rays over their shoulders as they sat down on the edge. Gar watched Raven out of the corner of his eye. He studied her as she took a sip of her tea, careful not to burn her upper lip as she did so. Resting the cup into her lap, she glanced at him.

"Excited for the bachelor party tonight?" she questioned, raising a violet eyebrow.

Gar smirked. "Booze, music, strippers, what's not to like?" Raven scoffed in response, knowing he was joking about the third thing in that list. "What about you?" he asked.

Raven shrugged. "It could be fun. Probably more my speed than whatever night you'll be having."

"Probably."

There wouldn't be nearly as much drinking at the bachelorette party. Starfire didn't normally drink anyway-alcohol had no effect on her Tamaranean system-but due to her and Bumblebee's pregnant states, obviously neither one would be partaking. Gar knew Raven would occasionally enjoy a glass of red wine, but she was by no means an avid drinker. He grinned. Seemed like Babs and Sarah might be drinking enough for the rest of them tonight.

"At least we're staying in," Raven said, taking another dainty sip of her drink. Gar nodded. He was sure for her that was the best possible case scenario. He knew since the bachelorette party started earlier, Nightwing would want to make sure the boys were out of the Tower well before sunset.

"I wish I could too," Gar said, earning a surprised glance from Raven. He shrugged. "It's nice to be back. I want to spend all the time I can here before we have to leave again."

Raven nodded, gripping her mug a little tighter. "Do you ever think about settling down in one city?" she inquired. "The way Cyborg did with the League, and Nightwing and Starfire did with Bludhaven?"

"Nah," Gar said, leaning back on his hands and swinging his feet. "It's easier for me to do freelance. I don't really have a city that feels like home." He paused. "Well except this one." A thought occurred to him, but he brushed it away.

Raven drained her cup and began to stand up. Gar watched as she rose, preparing for her to say she needed to meditate, or read, but she gazed at him, her head cocked to the side.

"I told Nightwing and Starfire I would go to the Jump City Bakery today to check on their wedding cake," she informed him. "Would you care to join me?"

Gar sprung up, pleased she had asked him to spend more time with her. "Sure!"

Raven regarded him, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

When they arrived at the bakery twenty minutes later, Gar scanned the display of cakes with wide eyes. He had originally thought a cake was just a cake, but this store clearly had a different take on the classic dessert. There were cakes and other pastries of all shapes, sizes and colors. The most popular style seemed to be towering wedding cakes. Gar licked his lips as he approached one in particular, a turquoise frosted cake with white decorations. Shame, it probably wasn't vegan.

"Try to resist running your fingers along the icing," Raven said from behind him, and he sent her a quick glare.

"So, which one is theirs?" he asked, coming to stand next to her. He glanced at a cake with black and blue frosting. Nightwing's colors. "That one?" he guessed, pointing.

Raven reached out to wrap her fingers around his wrist, moving his hand about 30 degrees to the right. Gar watched his arm move, feeling the warmth of her fingers burn through his uniform and along his skin.

"I'm going to take a stab in the dark here, and say it's that one," she said, releasing her hold on him.

Gar followed his arm down to where his finger pointed. His arm dropped by his side and his jaw hung open. Towards the back of the bakery sat a cake that stood nine feet tall in the shape of a giant 'T.' The pastry itself was coated in blacks and yellows, giving the impression that a few window lights were on in this 'tower.'

"Woah. I'd totally pay to live in that cake," Gar said, his eyes glazed over in wonder.

Raven shook her head. "Unfortunately for your realty plans, this cake looks exactly how Starfire told me she wanted it. I'll have to let them know so it can be brought into the venue next week." Raven turned to exit the shop.

"So," Gar said carefully, "what you're telling me is I came all the way here, and I don't get to sample any cake?"

"Come on," Raven grumbled, grabbing him by the forearm and leading him out into the street.

Instead of just teleporting them back, Raven walked with Gar along the sidewalk in peaceful silence. Gar caught her gazing at the different establishments in quiet contemplation. Maybe she was just as weirded out by all the changes as he was.

"I wonder if my favorite book cafe is still here," Raven pondered, more to herself than to him.

"We can check if you want," Gar offered.

Raven shook her head. "I'd rather not know."

Gar didn't understand why she wouldn't want to check. If it were him, he would be _dying_ to find out, but to each his own he supposed. "I wish we could live here again," he blurted.

Raven nodded, but he wasn't sure if it was a nod of agreement or just to acknowledge she had heard him. Gar suddenly realized he knew next to nothing about her current life. He knew she was guarded about how much she told him, but he was mentally kicking himself for not pushing harder. He began to feel sick at the thought of returning to talking with her only through the convenience of a communicator.

"Starfire will be wanting to start the bachelorette party soon," Raven told him, breaking his line of thought. "I'll teleport us back."

"Okay," Gar replied, knowing that if he tried to say anything more complex, he would break.

~0~0~0~

"Man, the girls are so lame for staying in," Flash said, the wind ruffling his exposed ginger locks.

"Dude, two of them are pregnant," Gar reminded him, his hand reaching up to fix his own blond hair. He subconsciously adjusted the hologram ring on his finger as they all walked.

"Besides, it's not like we're going to have some wild night. We need to keep a low profile." Nightwing adjusted his sunglasses, not used to wearing something that didn't cling to his face. It was better to keep his eyes hidden; for it might have seemed suspicious if Dick Grayson was in town the same time Nightwing was marrying Starfire.

"Come on Man, you really gotta remove that dick out of your ass," Arsenal piped in, laughing.

"Clever," Nightwing muttered.

"Hey, I'm not the one wearing sunglasses at night."

"I think I can pull them off," Robin said, touching his own sunglasses.

Cyborg glanced over at Nightwing. "You sure it's a good idea, bringing the kid to the club?"

"Don't worry, he already got the lecture from Bruce. Only thing he'll be drinking tonight is water or juice," Nightwing replied, ruffling Robin's hair.

"At least give me a soda," Robin grumbled.

Gar clapped the sixteen year old on the back. "Don't feel so bad about it. I barely made the cutoff myself."

"Well I don't know about you gentlemen, but I'm planning on getting absolutely trashed," Flash said, leading the way while also running much faster than the average human.

Nightwing looked to the sky in distress. "What have I done?"

Cyborg wrapped a flesh-covered arm around Nightwing's shoulders. "Not that I would use Roy's words _exactly,_ but he's right, Man. You gotta let loose a little. You're getting married!"

Nightwing smiled. "I'm getting married," he repeated, shaking his head. "Still feels bizarre."

"Well, I hope you're ready to celebrate," Flash called, jogging back to the group as they turned a corner. "Because it's right this way boys!"

When they entered the club, Gar had to squint as he was assaulted by an array of flashing lights. He felt a heavy thud in his chest from the bass of whatever song was blasting out of the speakers. Cyborg said something to him, but he couldn't make out what it was over the noise. Robin tugged on his arm, and Gar realized the group was trying to push their way towards the bar.

"How did you even get in here, Dude?" Gar asked him.

Robin grinned, whipping out a fake. "Wally got this for me. Don't tell Dick."

Gar laughed. "I won't, but you're still sticking with soda tonight."

"I expected as much," Robin replied, shrugging.

Nightwing ordered a round of beers-and of course one soda for Robin-but before he could take out his wallet, Flash intercepted him by slamming some bills down onto the bar.

"Nuh-uh. You're not dropping a single bill tonight," he sang into the raven-haired boy's ear. Nightwing frowned, but didn't argue.

 _Leave it to Dick to be upset about_ not _paying,_ Gar thought as he took a huge gulp of his beer. After a couple more rounds Gar began to feel that familiar warmth in his chest and lightness in his head. Clubs weren't exactly his scene-he'd rather go to an arcade to be honest-but he had to admit, chilling with the other guys was a lot of fun. He vaguely wondered if Raven was having a good time too. He forgot what he was thinking about when Cyborg nudged him in the side, trying to get his attention.

"What?" Gar called, still having trouble hearing anyone who wasn't an inch from him.

"Wally!" Cyborg yelled back, and Gar saw what he meant.

"Besides himself of course, Flash was the only one in the group who was not in a serious relationship. Even Arsenal had some flirty fling with this woman called Jade, but Gar wasn't sure if they were exclusive. Flash, on the other hand, was constantly on and off with Jinx ever since they were teenagers. And judging by the way he had his tongue shoved down some blonde's throat, Gar guessed they were more 'off' than 'on' at the moment.

"Time to get you a cutie too," Cyborg teased, and Gar smiled half-heartedly.

It's not that he hadn't kissed girls before. There had been a couple instances like this, where he had done something not so different from what Flash was doing right now-except perhaps with a little more tact. That being said, he had always been under the guise of a hologram ring. Come to think of it, the closest he had ever come to kissing a girl as _him_ had been with Terra back when he was fifteen.

It didn't really bother him, knowing that the others were probably leagues ahead of him in that department. Being a hero came first, and he was sure if Nightwing didn't have Starfire and Cyborg didn't have Sarah, they would be in a similar boat as him.

"You have a girl back in Gotham, right?" Gar turned to Robin.

"Yeah, her name's Stephanie," Robin said, taking a drink from his soda. Gar observed the younger boy's face break into a smile at the mention of his girlfriend.

"Does she know about…you know…"

Robin shook his head, smiling. "Nah. You think Bruce lets me go around telling people? He told me I'd better be damn sure I put a ring on her sexy finger before I tell her anything." Robin grinned. "My words, not his."

Gar burst out laughing, and then, when he caught sight of Arsenal dragging Nightwing onto the dance floor, he laughed even harder. "That's great though, Dude," Gar said to Robin as an afterthought. "It seems like you like this girl."

Robin nodded. "Yeah I do." He paused. "What about you? If you don't mind me asking."

Gar shrugged. "I don't really have time for girls, right now."

Cyborg clapped him on the back with a little too much force, giving Gar the impression that the human in him was also feeling the effects from the alcohol. "Aw, that's just code for you've already got someone in mind."

"No Dude, I don't, really," Gar protested, but Cyborg sent a wink in Robin's direction. Gar frowned, and Cyborg, sensing he had struck a nerve, dropped the topic.

Robin rose from his chair. "I think Wally might need some help," he said. Gar and Cyborg followed his gaze over to where Wally was. He was now alone, stumbling all over the dance floor with some random girl's bra over his head.

"Want us to come with?" Cyborg asked, shaking his head at the speedster.

"No, that's okay, I think I've got it," Robin said, his voice filled with laughter, as he made his way over to his highly inebriated friend.

"Hey Man, sorry about pushing you," Cyborg mentioned.

"Nah, it's okay."

"Offer's still on the table though," his friend asked, grinning. "I can be your wingman if you want."

Gar chuckled. "That's okay. I don't think I'd find anyone here that's my type."

"And what type is that?"

Gar didn't answer. He actually hadn't really thought about it before now. His dating life was practically nonexistent, so how could he know what he liked in a woman? He supposed he would like someone smart, easy to talk to, that sort of thing. She would be hot, but that was a given. Maybe someone who could work well off of him, someone he'd look forward to messing with and being around.

He glanced up, realizing he had been lost in thought. Cyborg gazed down at him from his seat at the bar, this knowing sort of look in his eyes. It unnerved Gar a bit.

After a few more hours, and several more toasts in the groom's honor, Nightwing and Cyborg began rounding everyone up, and the young heroes began the short walk back to the Tower. Well, it would have been a short walk if half of the party wasn't completely inebriated.

Gar, who had wisely cut himself off after the fifth round, was surprisingly one of the more controlled members of the group. Flash and Arsenal were completely out of it, stumbling around and singing their own crude version of 'Here Comes the Bride' at the top of their lungs. Nightwing was drunker than he cared to let on, but unlike the others, he didn't make a scene. Cyborg seemed to be alright, only occasionally letting out a belch as he tried to steer the two redheads away from oncoming traffic. Gar shook his head; in what world were _he_ and _Cyborg_ the responsible ones?

"Someday you'll be like this," Gar said, turning to Robin and gesturing to the stumbling men before them.

Robin grimaced as Flash leaned over to vomit onto the side of the road. "Something tells me I'm not missing that much."

Thankfully the six men made it back to the Tower with little incident, but the sight they found once they entered the ops room was certainly a shock, at least to Gar. As he, and Cyborg removed their hologram rings, they all tried to make sense of what they saw before them.

The room was dark except for flashing disco lights that spun around the room. Music played at a reasonably loud level from the Tower's sound system. Streamers and balloons seemed to cover every inch of the walls and most of the floor space. Sodas and pastries of all kinds littered the kitchen counter. That wasn't all. Starfire and Bumblebee were giggling uncontrollably from the couch as a clearly drunken Batgirl swung an almost equally drunk Sarah around on the kitchen table. Raven stood by the counter shaking her head, but a small smile also covered her face.

"What the frickity frack is going on in here?" Arsenal asked, causing most of the girls to laugh even harder.

"Why wasn't I invited to this party?" Flash complained, stumbling over to the counter and shoving cupcake into his face. "Thay've gmot cmumpcakes guyms!" he cried unintelligibly.

As soon as Sarah noticed Cyborg, she hoped down from the table and ran over to her husband, leaping into his arms and placing a passionate kiss on his mouth.

"Finally! What took you guys so long?" she asked, swaying in his arms.

"You boys missed one Hell of a party!" Bumblebee called over from the couch, taking a sip of her non-alcoholic beverage.

Starfire, seeing Nightwing sway where he stood, moved over to him with a huge smile on her face. "Have you been drinking too much of the alcohol Dick?" she asked teasingly.

Instead of answering her question, Nightwing took her in his arms, and spun her in a slow circle. "I love you so much, Star," he said, his head on her shoulder.

Starfire patted his back affectionately. "I love you as well."

Gar watched as Robin lunged forward, attempting to catch Batgirl as she fell off the table. She gave the boy a light push off of her. "You better have been a good boy tonight Timmy, or Bruce is gonna-" she paused, burping a little, "be up _my_ ass for it."

"I don't think _I'm_ the one who's been misbehaving," Robin said, smirking as Batgirl dusted herself off.

Gar chuckled, caught up in watching Arsenal try to press his head to Bumblebee's stomach to 'hear the baby talk,' when it occurred to him Raven was no longer in ops. Sensing the atmosphere had probably become to wild for her, Gar moved into the hallway, and sure enough saw the ends of her cloak vanish around the corner.

"Hey Raven!" he called, jogging to catch up with her. He caught her shoulders stiffening, and she picked up her pace. Curious as to why she was ignoring him, Gar morphed into a sparrow and landed on her shoulder. She gently swatted him away and he let out an indignant chirp before turning back into his human form.

He had to give her one thing; she was quick. In the time it had taken him to morph back, she had disappeared into the nearest room, which happened to be the training area. Making sure he didn't lose her, Gar followed her in, pausing when he saw her cloaked form standing by the large windows. Coming to stand beside her, he stretched his arms a little uncomfortably, still not sure why she was avoiding him. He let out an obnoxious yawn, and he heard her sigh in irritation.

"What do you want?" she asked carefully.

"Party too much for you?" he questioned, instead of answering her question.

"I just needed to get away from the noise."

Something about her seemed off. Her stance, her voice, even the fact that she hadn't used her powers was strange. Gar suspected if she had really wanted to escape him, all she needed to do was phase through the ground, yet here she was.

She adamantly avoided his eye contact, and then it hit Gar. His eyes widened, and he covered his mouth to keep from laughing.

"No way," he said, laughter still bubbling up despite his efforts. "You're totally drunk." He saw her shoulders stiffen again, and he knew he had struck gold. "You are! This is hilarious. Rae-Rae got her party on a little too hard!"

"At least I'm not making a complete fool out of myself," she snapped half-heartedly. She snorted. "It wasn't even my idea."

"Didn't have any trouble sayin' no though, did ya?"

She glared at him. "Babs and Sarah were begging me to have a drink. _One_ drink. I was going to say no, but Starfire said it would make her happy to see me having fun, so I gave in. Needless to say one became two and then…" she paused, "Did you know there are types of drinks that taste just like juice? At least with wine you can tell what you're ingesting."

"I know," Gar said with his bottom lip jutting out. "It's not fair."

"Don't patronize me," she said, but her eyes twinkled. "Did you have fun tonight?"

Gar shrugged. "It was interesting. Wally was totally making out with this babe he met. Not really a surprise to anyone."

Raven scrunched up her nose. The movement reminded Gar of when Mumbo had turned her into a bunny. Now that he thought about it, maybe there was some truth behind Arsenal's words. Raven could be sneaky cute.

"And you?" Raven asked.

Gar blinked. "And me what?"

"Did you…partake?"

For some reason the question made Gar's face feel warm, and he was glad it was dark in the training room. "U-um, no. Not really my thing."

Raven nodded, turning her head to look at him. Gar stared back at her, watching the moonlight filter inside. It touched her head, danced upon her shoulders. Even though she had clearly aged since the Titans had broken up, looking at her, Gar could still see the girl he had first met all those years ago. Talking with her, being with her, it reminded him of some of the happiest times in his life. With her, he felt fifteen again.

"Beast Boy…" she said softly, her eyes squinting just the tiniest bit. Gar watched her, too mesmerized to jokingly chastise her for calling him by his old alias. Raven hesitated, and Gar watched in confusion as her face changed into a slightly panicked expression. "I'm going to be sick," she muttered, then walked briskly out of the training room, probably to empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

As soon as she left, the feeling was gone. He was twenty-one again.

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _Writing this story is surprisingly emotional for me. I feel like for the first time I can actually really, really empathize with what Gar is going through. It's so bittersweet and nostalgic to catch up with old friends; especially ones from high school, when you are all living separate lives and growing older. I'm sure the fact that I'm around Garfield and Raven's ages (in this story) helps me relate to them a little more as well. Ah, the feels. Next chapter will be posted soon, thanks for reading and for the reviews!_


	4. Wedding

Gar found that the next several days passed by quickly, far too quickly. With the wedding only one day away, new faces started appearing in the Tower, mostly just to drop by and wish the happy couple congratulations before they went to their respective hotel rooms. When Herald came by to pick Bumblebee up, the dark skinned girl nearly flew to the ceiling in her excitement. One moment she was lathering his face in kisses, the next she was begging him to teleport her to the Jump City Carnival so she could satisfy her latest craving.

Nightwing was stressed as usual. Starfire had been very upset ever since a few days ago when they had found out Galfore could not make it to the wedding. He had been all set to travel to Earth when a colony of Adaptoids had unexpectedly invaded Tamaran. Nightwing was doing all he could to ease his troubled fiancée as well as still organize what needed to be done for the wedding on his end. Gar, taking pity on his former teammate, volunteered to run a few last minute errands to ease the burden on his friends. Unfortunately for him, that meant visiting the venue and distributing over a hundred nametags for the arranged table seating.

That's where he was now, sitting on the marble flooring of the reception hall, sorting through piles upon piles of laminated slips, and still getting some paper cuts in the process. _I'm wearing my uniform for fuck's sake,_ he though crudely as a particularly sharp plastic corner cut him.

The venue itself was gorgeous, but could one really expect anything less for Bruce Wayne's son's wedding? Gar had never officially met Batman before, but he was beyond excited to make one of the all time greatest hero's acquaintance.

As another laminated corner cut into the webbing on Gar's hand, he threw down the name slips, cursing. What was the point of sorting them? Everyone knew Flash was just going to zip around the room and switch the names anyway. This sucked.

"Looks like you've finally met your match," a dry voice cut in from behind him, and Gar smiled. Okay, so _this_ didn't suck.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, turning around to gaze at the empath

She shrugged. "I finished talking with the catering staff and figured I'd check to see if you needed help." She glanced down at the piles of name cards. "Looks like you do."

"Hey, it's harder than it looks," he said, standing up.

Raven sighed, reaching out a hand and using her powers to help him organize the piles into groups. "I'm surprised they tasked you with this. You aren't known for you organizational skills, no offense."

"Yeah, I know," Gar grumbled, taking a pile she had already organized and placing the name slips onto a table. "Beats staying behind at the Tower to clean though."

Raven didn't respond, instead choosing to focus on the task at hand. Soon she finished with the chore and began using her powers to fix a couple of crooked centerpieces. As Gar moved from table to table, placing the name slips beside each individual seat, he watched as she levitated gracefully to the crystal chandelier above the dance floor, examining the decorative item as well as the paintings on the ceiling. Eventually she dipped down to the floor, using her powers to open the large, glass doors leading out onto a stone balcony. Gar was thankful for her actions as he breathed in a wave of fresh air.

He finished his task just in time to see her float up to the ceiling again, her finger by her chin as she examined the artwork. "I imagine the painter modeled his work after the Sistine Chapel," she said, her pointer finger tracing the tip of an angel's wing.

"Uh, yeah, probably."

Raven glanced at him in a way that let him know _she_ knew he had no idea what she was talking about. She drifted down to meet him, gazing around the room at his work. "I suppose we're done here."

"Yeah." Gar surveyed the whole reception hall. By this time tomorrow night all of their friends and even many of their acquaintances would fill these chairs. "It's crazy to think Dick and Star will be married soon."

"It doesn't feel so strange to me anymore," Raven admitted. "They've been together for such a long time."

"Hey, remember that one Christmas when Cyborg planted mistletoe all over the Tower trying to get them to 'accidently' stand under it?" He smiled at the memory.

Raven's eyes softened. "I forgot. That was a really nice day."

"Yeah."

The two drifted into silence. Gar was about to say something else nostalgic, but to his surprise, his communicator rang. "Nightwing, what's up?" he asked when he saw who it was.

"Gar. Do you mind heading back to the Tower? Star needs to talk with you and Vic."

"Yeah, sure. Be there in a few." Gar ended the transmission and cocked his head to the side. "Any idea what that's about?" he asked her. She shook her head. "Ah well, guess I'll find out soon." Gar walked across the room to exit the reception hall, and then stopped in his tracks. "You coming?"

"I think I'll stay here a while longer. Make sure everything is ready for tomorrow," she answered.

"Okay, see you later then." Gar gave her one final nod, and then transformed into a falcon.

As it turned out, Starfire had requested a word to discuss which of them would walk her down the aisle in place of Galfore. She had insisted if her _K'Norfka_ could not be the one to give her away, than she would want one of her closest friends to do so. After their discussion, they came to the conclusion that Cyborg would be the one to do it. Gar didn't mind. He had actually already expected Starfire to ask Cyborg in light of the news concerning Galfore. He was more of a big brother figure to her, after all.

Later that day as everyone took care of their 'evening before' preparations, Gar swore he could feel electricity in the air. There was an excitement that was palpable among his friends, and why shouldn't there be? It wasn't every day that two of the world's heroes would be joined in matrimony.

~0~0~0~

Gar stuck his tongue out in concentration as he gave his bowtie one final straighten. He had to give it to Bruce; the measurements of his tux were disturbingly exact. He brought his hands up to comb through his hair lightly, making sure all the fly aways were tucked. When he was younger and had to go to formal events, he would mistakenly take out a page of Nightwing's-then Robin's-book and slick down his hair with as much gel as possibly. Thankfully as he matured, the changeling realized less was more.

He cast a glance at the groom beside him. The older man's legs were shaking up and down in anticipation. Gar knew being nervous before a wedding was common among grooms and brides alike, but he couldn't say why. What was there really to be nervous about, after all? It's not like the person they were marrying would go to all this trouble only to change their mind last minute. Gar supposed it was just a feeling he would have to experience himself to understand. Whenever that would be.

"Can't believe it, Man," Cyborg said, his voice choked with emotion. "Seems like it was just yesterday when she touched down here and knocked your ass sky high."

"Hey, I got a kiss out of it too," Nightwing reminded him, straightening his mask and standing up. To anyone else it might have seemed odd for Dick to wear a mask to his own wedding, but he didn't just have his own identity to protect after all. The press was all over this event, so almost everyone there would be in a mask anyway. Either way it didn't really matter, the people who really counted already knew what was behind the cloth on his face.

Cyborg let out a puff of breath. "Right. Speaking of which, it's time for me to meet the bride. Don't wanna be late to walk her down." Cyborg gave Nightwing a final clap on the back before exiting the dressing room.

Nightwing glanced at Gar. "Where are Wally and Roy?"

"They're already out there," Robin answered, coming out from behind a dressing curtain. He glanced at his watch. "We should get out there too. It's nearly four."

"Okay," Nightwing said, and for the first time in all the years Gar had known him, his voice shook. _Really_ shook.

 _Guess even Nightwing gets choked up,_ Gar thought with a soft smile.

The remaining men exited the dressing room and entered the church. Nightwing took his place by the end of the aisle, while Gar and Robin went over to stand by Flash and Arsenal. The pews were absolutely packed. Nearly every Titan the core team had ever met was staring back at them from their seats. Those with identities to protect either wore their regular uniforms or tuxedos with masks over their eyes or heads. There were also several people Gar didn't recognize. People from Gotham he assumed. Which reminded him…

"Is…is _he_ here?" Gar asked, leaning over to whisper in Robin's ear.

Robin jerked his head to the front aisle farthest to the right. "There." Gar followed his gaze and sure enough there he was. Batman had chosen to forego the tuxedo-mask combination and just wear his full batsuit. Gar supposed the bat ears with the dress wear would not have been a flattering combination. "He wanted to bring Selina with him," Robin continued, "but I don't think the optics would've looked too good."

Gar nodded. Robin was right. Despite her flexible motivations, Catwoman was still technically considered a villain. Not many people in Jump, or really anywhere, would suspect she was dating Batman. Coming as Selina wouldn't have worked either. She had already been seen at formal events with Bruce Wayne, and having her beside Batman would only raise questions. Shame. Gar would've loved to see her in person.

His eyes drifted over to the other side of the aisle where the bridesmaids stood. They all wore varying shades of purple, their hair pinned up in identical ringlets. Gar watched with amusement as Sarah bounced with excitement. The others appeared just as ready for the ceremony to begin.

A few minutes later music began playing overhead, and everyone stood up in the pews. The doors to the church opened and in a few moments there Starfire was. She was absolutely stunning of course. Her wedding dress was similar to the Tamaranean styles he had seen when they had visited her home planet, but her hair fell in soft waves instead of hanging pin-straight. Her make up was done lightly, but it was her smile that stole the show. As Cyborg walked her down the aisle looking like a proud older brother, Gar noticed how one of her arms angled protectively towards her stomach. It was such a subtle gesture that only the select few who knew of her pregnancy could recognize it.

About halfway through their journey down the aisle, Gar finally caught sight of Raven, using her powers to hold the train of Starfire's dress. As the maid of honor, Raven's dress differed a little from the other bridesmaids, although that could have also been due to her own personal tastes. The long-sleeved statin dress clung to her body in a way that was akin to her usual leotard. The color was much darker than the purple the rest of the bridesmaids wore. In fact it was so dark it could have been blue. The front part of her hair was pinned up while the rest fell down in very subtle curls. Her eyelids were painted with a hint of purple, her lips a subtle maroon.

As if she could sense his staring, Raven tilted her head in his direction, raising an eyebrow in her usual dry way. Under her gaze he suddenly felt hot, as if _he_ were the one getting married instead. Her look only lasted a moment, for Starfire had reached the end of the aisle and stood across from Nightwing. Cyborg, having completed his duty, moved over to join the other groomsmen. Raven gently laid the ends of Starfire's dress on the ground, and stood off to the side, obscured from Gar's view.

The ceremony was short, and sweet, and long overdue for the two lovebirds. When Starfire and Nightwing's lips met, sealing their marriage, the entire church erupted in cheers.

"That's my boy!" Flash cried, over Cyborg's triumphant "Booyah!"

Gar laughed in joy, clapping wildly along with Robin. Batgirl and Sarah were crying. Bumblebee looked like she was about to. Gar even caught Raven's bottom lip trembling just the tiniest bit. She concealed her emotion well, but Gar knew her too well for her to hide how moved she was by her friends' joining.

Gar turned his head to the right, craning his neck to get a sneak at the Dark Knight. It was hard to find him amidst the churning bodies of young adults, but Gar finally caught him standing up, his gaze watching the newly married couple.

And he was _smiling._

"Woah," Gar said, unnerved by this joyous version of Batman that he had never pictured.

Robin followed his gaze and burst out laughing. "What? He has to smile _sometimes,_ you know."

Gar turned to answer him, but he was lost as a sea of people carried him through the doors and towards the reception hall across the street, Starfire and Nightwing leading them. As people began to filter in through the doors, Gar included, the shape shifter was grabbed by the shoulder and tugged out of the mass of people.

"Thanks," Gar said, once he realized his savior was Cyborg. He paused when he noticed the man sniffing. "Uh…you okay, Dude?"

Cyborg sniffed again. "S'fine. You know weddings get me emotional!" Sarah came up beside him and slung an arm around his waist, and he gave his wife a brief hug.

Gar scanned the crowd, searching for Raven, but it was nearly impossible when so many people were trying to find their seats…which proved to be even more difficult thanks to Wally's interference. _All those paper cuts for nothing,_ Gar thought bitterly. His annoyance faded instantly, however, when he caught the scent of food drifting from the plates the waiters were bringing out.

Sarah, noticing the eager look on Gar's face, pointed towards a table next to the dance floor. "Come on, I think Raven found some seats," she said, leading her husband to the side.

Gar followed them and sure enough, Raven was there, patiently sitting at the table with her hands folded in her lap. She met Gar's gaze as he chose the seat beside her, and he smiled shyly. Feeling a bit foolish for acting like a nervous prom date, Gar did what he always did to ease the tension. He cracked jokes.

"Why did the cookie go to the doctor?" he asked her.

She gave him a deadpan look.

"He was feeling a little crummy!"

"You already told me that one," she stated blandly.

Gar deflated. "Aw, I guess I'm getting washed up."

" _Getting?_ " she questioned incredulously.

Before he had a chance to respond to her, Bumblebee sat down by her other side and engaged her in conversation. Gar, reluctant to stop talking with Raven but understanding he had to let this one go, turned to his right and began talking with Batgirl and Robin instead.

The food ended up being delicious, the dessert even more so. Watching Starfire embrace Earthly traditions and shove cake into Nightwing's face was priceless, especially since the groom clearly was not expecting such a forceful gesture from his bride. As the band started to play, Nightwing and Starfire made their way onto the dance floor. They swayed slowly to the beat, their gazes focused solely on each other. Gar almost felt a little uncomfortable; watching them like this seemed so intimate. They didn't seem bothered by the hundreds of eyes on them though. Gar idly wondered if he would care if people stared at him on his wedding day.

As the song ended, everyone clapped and then cheered as a more upbeat song started. Almost a hundred wedding guests flooded the dance floor. Gar felt Batgirl grab his arm as she dragged him and Robin closer to the band. Gar glanced over his shoulder, unable to see Raven anymore. He had barely spoken with her today and would have liked to spend more time with her, but apparently now was still not an opportune moment.

Gar became mildly distracted as he was handed a mixed drink via Batgirl. She gave him a little smirk from under her mask and downed her own beverage. Not wanting to be outdone, Gar impulsively threw back his own, and she nodded her head to him. Robin shook his head disapprovingly, muttering something about alcoholic heroes. Sarah and Cyborg joined the trio shortly after. Flash zipped on by, handing them more drinks, and then a couple more, and after that Gar sort of lost track.

He danced with Starfire, with Batgirl, with Sarah, even with Nightwing for a bit. All the songs were fast paced and vibrant, and although he wasn't much of a dancer, he still thought he could do a better robot than Cyborg. Soon a slower song came on, and all the guests started to couple up. Gar, sensing this dance wasn't really meant for him, sat down at a nearby table, slightly thankful for the break.

He watched Nightwing kiss Starfire softly while he held her in his arms. Sarah had her head on Cyborg's chest. Bumblebee and Herald had their foreheads pressed together, one of Herald's hands resting on her stomach. Gar placed his chin on his hand, noticing for the first time that almost everyone was coupled up with a sweetheart.

Tempest, formerly Aqualad, had Aquagirl, or Tula. Arsenal had Jade. Flash, judging by the way he was lip locked with a certain pixie-haired girl, had Jinx. Hotspot and Argent. Kole and Jericho. And so many more.

Even those who didn't have plus ones at the wedding had them back home; Tim and Stephanie for instance, or Babs and her fiancé Jason Bard. Damn, even Batman had a honey.

Gar felt a pang of sadness. He was happy for all of them, really he was. Most of his friends were engaged or practically there already. Some even had kids on the way. But him…he just felt stuck.

Suddenly needing fresh air, Gar sprung out of his chair and turned sharply, slamming into a broad chest. He jerked back, shaking his head to clear it, and then nearly passed out when he saw who it was.

Batman gazed down at him, the smile no longer on his face. He narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized Gar for a moment. "Where is Nightwing?" he asked gruffly.

Gar's mouth flopped like a fish a few times before he pointed to the dance floor. Thankfully, Nightwing and Starfire had noticed his struggling and were already in the process of walking over. Gar watched as Batman exchanged a few private words with Nightwing, and then the married couple followed Batman out of the reception hall, Starfire giving Gar a brief wave as they left.

Shaking his head again, feeling as though the alcohol was finally causing him to lose it, Gar made his way out onto the stone balcony to gather his thoughts. Pantha and Wildebeest were already out there talking, but they left a few minutes after he arrived. Resting his arms against the stone railing, Gar gazed out onto the bay. By now the sun had almost entirely set, casting blue and pink sparkles along the water.

Five years. Practically five years on his own, and he still felt exactly the same. Maybe there was a secret about this whole growing up thing that no one had bothered to tell him.

His ears twitched as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He kept his eyes trained on the water, even as Raven came to stand beside him. She watched him for a moment, before following his gaze to the remnants of the sunset.

"Mind if I join you?" she questioned softly.

Gar watched the light breeze move her violet hair against her cheek; watched as the tops of her arms disappeared into the dark satin fabric. Looking at her now, he wondered why he hadn't noticed how beautiful she was when he was fifteen. He glanced down, watching as she gripped a cup of clear liquid in her hand. "Didn't even know they served water at weddings," he joked.

"This is for you, actually," she said, handing him the glass.

"Thanks," Gar replied, taking the beverage and chugging down the liquid. He set the drink off to the side. "Tired of dancing?"

"I don't dance," she said simply.

"I know. It was a joke."

She sighed. "Why are you out here? I thought you actually derived pleasure from this sort of thing."

Gar shrugged. "I just can't believe it's almost over."

"I know," she said, and he was glad he didn't have to explain what he meant. "It was…fun while it lasted," she added.

Gar perked up a bit as a thought from earlier crossed his mind. It was far-fetched but…

"Maybe it doesn't have to end," he said. She didn't respond at first, so he took this as a good sign to continue. "I mean, Star and Dick have their honeymoon and Vic has to get back to the League, but you and I…we could stay here, in Jump, for an extra week or two."

She stared at him, her face expressionless. "I don't know if that's such a good idea."

Gar frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Saying goodbye is never easy," she told him wisely, "delaying the inevitable isn't going to make it easier."

Gar was silent for a long time. He stared at the water for several moments, debating how much he should tell her about his thoughts.

"Do you ever feel like you're just waiting for a call?" he inquired finally. "From Nightwing or Cyborg, or really anyone from the team?"

"I wait for calls from you," she said slowly.

He shook his head. "That's different. I'm talking about calls to…to get the team back together, ya know? I just thought with Cyborg and Sarah's wedding…with us all there we would…but we didn't. But maybe this time-"

"Gar," Raven spoke, cutting him off, "you shouldn't hold your breath. The Titans…what we had was life changing, something that I would never trade for anything else." She eyed him meaningfully. "But it's over now. People change. They drift apart."

"That doesn't mean they can't drift back," Gar argued.

"That doesn't mean they _want_ to drift back," she countered. "Everyone's moved on. They have their own lives now."

"It's different, yeah I get it. It really sucks too, sometimes, watching everyone. I'm sure you know that just as well as I do."

She narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Gar stared at her. "Come on, Rae. You can't honestly tell me it doesn't bother you seeing everyone together like that. Husbands, wives, kids. You probably want the team back just as much as me."

Raven's expression hardened. "I like my life, Gar. It's peaceful. I learn more and more about myself and my powers every day. I love what I do, and that's because I've let the Titans go. I've moved on. Can you say the same?"

"I've moved on too," Gar said, frustrated and suddenly feeling attacked. "Just because I think it'd be cool to get the team back doesn't mean I haven't grown up too."

She watched him knowingly. "Having people call you by a different name doesn't mean you've moved on."

Gar felt his jaw tense. "You don't know what you're talking about," he said, moving closer to her. "I've changed. I have."

He watched as her eyes became sad, sad for him, and he felt even worse than he already did. "Beast Boy-"

"Stop calling me that," he snapped, moving away from her. "It's not funny anymore."

He turned and left her on the balcony.


	5. Stay

Gar lifted a hand to cradle his pounding temple. He blinked once, twice, and realized he was in his room, the sun streaming brightly through his window. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It read one in the afternoon. His already sour mood worsened. Today was everyone's last day in the Tower, and he had slept through half of it.

Jumping down from his bed, the room swayed for a few moments as lightheadedness made his vision go blurry. Once he had regained his bearings, he made his way down to ops to figure out who was still left. When he entered, he found Batgirl and Robin at the kitchen table, both with cups of coffee in their hands. They were talking to Nightwing and Starfire, who were both perched comfortably on the tops of some of their suitcases; their bags all packed for their two week honeymoon on Tamaran. Gar noticed Starfire could barely sit without floating into the air. Of course she was excited; their honeymoon would give her a chance to see Galfore.

Batgirl was in the middle of laughing when she became the first to notice Gar in the doorway. "Well, look who it is," she said, nodding in his direction. "Have a nice sleep, princess?"

"Waking up was worse," Gar grumbled, sitting across from Robin.

The younger boy smiled at him. "We were just talking about how Bruce snuck Selina in last night."

Gar's eyes widened. "She was there?"

"Not exactly," Nightwing said. "Star and I had to leave the reception hall. She said there was no way she was going to miss my wedding." He was clearly flattered by the trouble Catwoman had gone to visit them.

Gar nodded, vaguely remembering how Nightwing and Starfire had briefly left with Batman last night. "That's pretty sweet. Wish I could have met her."

"Her charm wears out quick," Batgirl mentioned half-seriously, taking a sip of her coffee.

The ops doors slid open again, this time revealing Cyborg and Sarah. "T-Ship's all good to go Dick. Might just want to take your two individual pods though, it'll be easier to manage." He came to stand beside the newly married couple. "Give Galfore my best."

"Oh we most certainly will! Thank you, both of you, for all you have done," Starfire gushed, hugging both Cyborg and Sarah tightly.

"It was no problem. Congratulations you guys, and have fun on your honeymoon," Sarah replied, turning to give Nightwing a hug after Starfire had released her.

Batgirl rose from her seat along with Robin. "We should start heading back to Gotham too. Crime never sleep and all that."

"It was a ton of fun guys. Really happy for you both," Robin added.

Gar rose with the rest of them, exchanging farewell hugs with everyone and other such pleasantries. As he shook Robin's hand, he found he really rather enjoyed the boy's company and hoped they would meet again soon.

"Come on, I'll help you load everything into the T-Ship," Cyborg told Starfire and Nightwing as he picked up some of their suitcases.

Gar frowned as he looked around the room. "Um…where's Raven?"

"She had to take care of something. She already said her goodbyes to us," Nightwing told him simply, and Gar's heart plummeted. So she had already left then. He knew they had gotten into somewhat of a spat last night, but he never imagined she would leave without saying goodbye.

Gar tried to put on a brave face as he shook hands with Nightwing and Cyborg one last time, afraid to show them how much his world was crumbling around him.

"I'm gonna miss you BB," Cyborg said sadly, squeezing his shoulder. "Let's make sure the next time we all see each other will be sooner than a couple of years, yeah?"

"Totally," Gar replied weakly, not sure how serious the promise was.

"Good luck in whatever you do, Gar," Nightwing told him.

As soon as he stepped away, Starfire flung her arms around Gar in one final hug, practically squeezing the life out of him. "Oh I will miss you so much, Friend!" she cried, pulling away from him and revealing tears in her eyes. "Thank you for all of your assistance with the wedding of Dick and I. Perhaps you shall be next?" she added, a little mischievously.

Gar chuckled doubtfully. "Maybe, Star."

There were a couple more hand squeezes, some more crushing hugs from Starfire, a kiss on the cheek from Sarah, a pat on the back from Cyborg, and then he was alone. Not knowing quite what to do with himself, Gar resumed his morning as he normally would have by fashioning himself some tofu eggs and bacon. He sat down at the kitchen table, chewing his meal and thinking about nothing. When he finished, he cleaned his plate, and because he had nothing else to do, cleaned the entire rest of the kitchen. By the time he was finished the ops room was nearly spotless, save for a few fallen streamers no one had bothered to pick up.

Returning to his room, Gar began to gather the few things he had brought with him. Packing took under ten minutes, and when he was done, he slung his backpack over his shoulder, gave one last cursory glance around his room, and left again.

As he walked down the hallways, he passed by all of their rooms. He no longer felt sad, but numb, which in some ways was worse. When he moved past Raven's room he hesitated, stepping back a few paces to stare at her door.

How many times had he stood outside her room like he was doing now? Hundreds? Thousands? He supposed it didn't really matter now. Taking one last look at her engraved name, Gar prepared to continue down the hallway when her door abruptly slid open.

"Ah!" Gar yelped in surprise, leaping nearly a foot into the air. When he gathered himself he recognized Raven staring back at him with an eyebrow raised. He blinked several times, not truly believing it was her. "Uh…"

"Any reason you're lurking outside my room?" she inquired.

Gar scratched the back of his neck. "I-I thought you had left already. Dick said you had stuff to do."

"I did," she replied, "which is why I made sure to say goodbye to them before you woke up."

So she hadn't left without seeing him after all. A touch of warmth rose in his chest, penetrating the numbness he had felt earlier. "So…what did you have to do?"

"Nevermore," she answered simply, not providing any further explanation. Her eyes fell to the bag slung around his shoulders. "Are you leaving?"

"Well I thought everyone had left so yeah…"

She stared back, her face expressionless. "I see."

"What about you?" he asked, glancing off to the side awkwardly. "You heading out now, too?"

When he chanced a look at her, his eyes fell to her lips. They tightened in the smallest way; so subtle that most probably couldn't even recognize it was a smile.

"I don't have to," she whispered, so quietly he almost didn't hear it.

He stared back at her for one moment. Two. Then a smile grew across his face. Without wasting another moment, he leapt forwards, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and squeezing her tight. He felt her hand pat the small of his back gently, signifying that her hug limit had been reached. He stepped back, still holding her upper arms in his hands.

"I knew you couldn't resist this face," he said devilishly, wiggling his ears.

She whacked him for that.

~0~0~0~

Gar hadn't exactly confirmed with her how long they were staying, but last night when he had offered her to stay with him at the Tower, he had proposed about two weeks. Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Gar let any worries he had about the future subside and made it a point to enjoy the extra time he had with Raven.

"So," she said later on as they made sandwiches for lunch, "what did you have in mind for this little 'vacation?'"

Gar scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh…I hadn't really gotten that far," he admitted.

Raven took a seat at the kitchen counter, using her powers to bring two plates in front of them. They each put their own sandwich on their individual plates. His was piled high with tofu, tomato, and vegan cheese, hers with regular deli meats and lettuce.

"Well," she said, after she took a bite, "if I'm going to stay here, I need to visit a bookstore at some point."

"Owkay swure," Gar responded through a mouthful of food. Raven gave him a look of disdain for his lack of manners, but didn't comment on his behavior. Gar, swallowing his sandwich regarded her. "Maybe we can go to the video store while we're at it too?"

"You do realize video stores are obsolete, correct? Everything is through streaming software nowadays."

"Oh, I guess I've been on the road so long I haven't noticed." Gar pursed his lips in thought. "Hey, how come _you_ know? I thought you were supposed to be all isolated in your temple and stuff."

Raven shrugged in response, finishing her sandwich and taking a sip of her water. "We could see if there are any movies," she offered, "as long as there are no ninjas _or_ zombies."

"Those are the best ones!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Anything else on your bucket list?" she pressed on.

"I mean, I think it would be cool to walk around the city a bit and see what's changed. We don't have to go near the area of your book café," he added quickly, remembering how reluctant she was to see if her favorite place had been demolished.

Raven nodded. "Alright then."

Gar smiled. "Come on, let's check it out now."

In a matter of minutes the duo was walking along the streets of Jump City as if they were just regular civilians. Well, to everyone else, that's probably all they looked like, considering they were both wearing hologram rings. Raven had been the one to suggest it. She knew if there was trouble they would of course have to reveal themselves as heroes, but she had mentioned she would rather not attract attention when they were just walking around. Gar didn't really understand the big deal himself, but he respected Raven's need for privacy, so he went along with it.

"I'll never get used to seeing you as a blond," she remarked as they crossed the street together.

Gar subconsciously ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah well, this is what I would've looked like if I wasn't all green and pointy eared."

"I didn't ever feel there was a need to use the rings Cyborg gave us, but I have to admit, I'm glad I kept mine."

"You don't look all that different," Gar mentioned as they rounded a corner.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I mean your coloring's different and stuff, but your face still looks the same to me."

"Don't suppose that's a good thing if I want to remain inconspicuous."

"It's a _great_ thing because it means I'll always be able to tell it's you." She gave a small chuckle at that, and Gar felt proud he had sort of made her laugh. "Is this the place you wanted?" he asked, stopping in front of a bookstore.

Raven looked up at the sign. "This will do," she stated, moving inside the building. When she noticed he didn't follow her she turned around, still holding the door. "Are you coming?"

"I just have to check on something first," he said, backing up. "I'll be back before you know it; I promise!"

That was apparently enough for her, for she entered the bookstore without another word. As soon as Gar felt as though she couldn't see him from the inside, he grabbed a pamphlet that hung on a basket outside the store. Opening it up, he revealed an intricate map of Jump City, and his eyes immediately went to the list of businesses on the left. When he found the address he was looking for, he transformed into a falcon and took to the skies.

A few minutes later he landed on a side street, in front of a small establishment. He supposed he didn't actually have to travel all this way when he had already seen the business's name on the map, but he had wanted to be sure. Now he was. Raven's book café was still in business, and if anything it appeared to be thriving. Smiling to himself, he shifted back into a falcon to return to her.

When he finally made it into the bookstore, he wandered along the shelves, glimpsing uninterestedly at the covers. He was never much of a book person. Shocker. He was caught up in wondering if this were the type of store that sold comics and manga when he caught Raven talking to one of the workers. The boy was tall and lanky, and he kind of had this prim, know-it-all look about him. They were discussing some author Gar had never even heard of before.

"I've only read a few of his novels, and they seemed decent," Raven was saying.

"I find his work to be a tad redundant at times, but his character development is certainly remarkable," the worker replied.

"Yeah, he's _so_ redundant," Gar chimed in, not wanting to feel left out.

Both Raven and the worker turned at the sound of his voice, the former with an amused expression on her face, the latter with a confused one.

"Excuse me," Raven said to the boy, and then led Gar to a different part of the store where he was less likely to embarrass himself.

"So…find what you were looking for?" Gar questioned, noting the book under her arm.

Raven nodded. "Did you?"

"I think so," Gar said, placing his hands innocently behind his back. Raven quirked an eyebrow, but he didn't explain further. He wanted to surprise her.

"If you aren't going to get anything we can leave now," she told him.

"Okay."

After Raven had paid for her book, the two picked up a box of pizza and returned to the Tower. As Gar scarfed down his slice of vegan cheese, he gazed affectionately at the empath as she ate her own pizza with delicate movements. Part of him still couldn't believe she had agreed to stay with him.

"So what changed your mind?" he asked casually, once dinner had concluded.

"Pardon?"

"You know. Why'd you decide to stay with me?"

She glanced off to the side. "Everyone needs a vacation sometimes," she provided, and then rose from her seat. Gar followed her onto the sofa, plopping down beside her.

"You mean you miss the Titans as much as I do." His words were more of a statement than a question.

"Of course I miss it…but that doesn't mean life ended with them. There are plenty of other opportunities and adventures to look forward to beyond the Titans. I stayed because…I thought maybe I could get you to see that too."

Gar furrowed his eyebrows. He was happy she had changed her mind, but he wasn't sure how he felt about being her own personal project. At the same time, hadn't he made her _his_ project these past two weeks when he had been trying to spend more one-on-one time with her? He decided to just drop it.

"Well I'm really glad you stayed," he told her honestly, reaching over and taking her hand in his. She stared down at their joined hands for a few moments, gave his a small squeeze, and then released it. Gar found he missed the warmth of her skin, even long after they had separated.

That night, Gar couldn't sleep. It was like that night in the cave all over again, when his skin felt electric. The inside of him felt warm too, like someone was cooking a small fire in his stomach. He fell asleep to the beating of his own heart.

The next couple days were some of the best Gar had had in years. Every morning he would make sure he woke up early to catch Raven making her morning herbal tea. He would then allow her a few hours to meditate while he played video games. The two would have lunch at a restaurant under the guise of regular civilians, and then they would walk through the city together, remembering old places and admiring the changed ones. One day, Gar even bought a record player and a couple records, explaining to Raven that retro was 'in' these days, and the Tower could use a few new items.

After about a week and a half of quality time, Gar decided it would be a good idea to show her he had found her favorite book café. When he mentioned he had a surprise for her, she was automatically suspicious, but he assured her it wasn't a prank. Along the way, they stumbled across a poster for a movie that was holding auditions a few cities over. Raven had pointed to the poster and made a remark about how this could be one of the future opportunities for him that she had been talking about. Gar had taken the comment with a grain of salt, but he had to admit the idea of being in a movie sounded like a lot of fun.

When they finally arrived at the book café Raven didn't say anything. Instead she took his hand and held it tightly, gently running her thumb along the back of his hand. That was all Gar needed for him to know she was moved by his gesture.

They spent the afternoon there, sampling drinks and talking. They talked about the first time they battled Mad Mod, about Starfire's first mustard drink, about when they absolutely kicked Doctor Light's butt. They also discussed more serious things, like their individual missions while fighting the Brotherhood of Evil. Raven opened up more about how she had felt when Malchior betrayed her. Gar described to her how he truly felt when Terra disappeared down that hallway and out of his life forever. They talked about the past, the present, and even the future to some extent. About how Cyborg and Sarah were looking into adoption. About how Bumblebee was due any day now. They talked until there seemed to be nothing left to talk about, but Gar knew that was never the case when he was with her.

When it became late enough, the 'civilians' realized it had started to pour outside. Gar knew Raven was especially irked because she couldn't very well find a discreet way to remove her hologram ring. This meant they would have to brave the weather until they located a darkened alleyway to change back.

"Come on Rae, live a little," Gar teased as he dragged her into the pounding rain. Within seconds both of them were drenched, their clothes completely soaked through to their skin. They ran wildly, Gar laughing while Raven grunted. Eventually they found a private area where they could safely remove the rings, so she could teleport them home.

Once they arrived back in ops, the two went to their respective rooms to remove their dampened clothes and change into dry ones. Gar returned to ops first, and while he waited for her he decided to create a bit of an atmosphere. He dimmed the lights in the room-not that he needed to, for the cloudy weather was enough to provide mood lighting-and lit a few candles. He also picked up one of the records he had purchased a few days ago, and, flipping it once in his hand, placed it onto the record player. He heard the ops doors slid open behind him the same moment soft music began to drift through the air. Gar turned around and leaned against the back of the sofa innocently.

Raven raised her eyebrows, her hair still damp from the rain. "What's this?"

Gar approached her until he stood in front of her. He reached down a little to take her hand. "Thought you owed me a dance since I couldn't find you at the wedding."

Raven scoffed, dropping his hand. "You were too drunk to dance properly anyway."

"Does that mean you would have said yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow mischievously.

If he didn't know any better he would have said Raven appeared to be flustered by his comment. "No," she said finally.

He picked up her hand again. "Come on, Rae. One dance. _One._ No one's here to watch us."

She sighed in annoyance, but she didn't drop his hand this time. Taking this as an acceptance, Gar led her over so they stood in front of the giant windows. Gar ignored the deep frown on Raven's face as he wove one hand into hers and used his other to lift her other hand to his shoulder. When he was confident she wouldn't jerk away, he moved to rest that same hand on her waist. They moved in a slow circle, a few droplets from their still moist hair dripping onto their shoulders.

As the song continued, Gar noticed the frown had completely left Raven's face, and he stepped closer. He felt her hand on his shoulder grip him more firmly, and in turn he wound his arm tighter around her waist. The song ended and a new one began playing, this one even slower than the first. Gar vaguely noticed that she was going beyond his request for one dance, but she seemed to have no problem with granting him a second. As the minutes passed, his cheek came to rest just below her temple.

She smelled of rain and tea. Some of the wisps of her violet hair tickled the ends of his nose. With her cloak pushed back behind her shoulders, he could almost feel every curve of her body against his. His ears twitched as the sound of her fluttering heartbeat reached him.

He had known sometime ago he had fallen in love with her. It could have been this week, it could have been before the wedding, Hell, it could have even been before the Titans officially split up. That was the funny thing about falling in love; it snuck up on you.

Several seconds passed, and Gar eventually discovered they had stopped moving. The song ended and Raven stepped back to look at him. Gar expected to see the same peacefulness and affection he felt in that moment reflected in her own eyes, but instead she just looked heartbroken. Without a word Raven walked across ops and disappeared into the hallway. Gar, utterly confused, followed her until he came to her room, her door wide open. That was enough to tell him something was up.

"Raven?" he called softly. He craned his neck into the darkness of her room and could just barely make out her cloaked form with her back to him, and her head bent down. He hesitated for only a moment before stepping inside. "Rae, are you okay?"

"I shouldn't have stayed here," she whispered, and he felt himself freeze.

"Why?" He glanced at her bed, discovering her bags were packed. How long they had been like that though, he could only guess.

She turned to him then, her expression twisted in pain, her eyes glimmering with the beginnings of tears. "Because I didn't know how difficult it was going to be to leave." She swallowed, the tears sinking back into her eyes except for one stubborn droplet that fell down her face anyway.

Gar walked forwards until he was only a few inches from her, until he was close enough to hold his palm under her head and cup her damp cheek with the other.

"Then don't," he told her, and placed his mouth over hers.

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _Some of you may be wondering why I chose to get them together so quickly compared to my other stories, but you have to remember this is from_ years _of repressed attraction on Gar's part, especially since they've been communicating for all that time. I also wanted more time to develop their relationship as a couple, because who knows; they might be facing some pretty significant milestones in this story. Next chapter: More romance development and perhaps a slight surprise at the end? Keep reading (and reviewing) to find out!_


	6. Touch

**Author's Note:**

 _Mild mature content below, it's a little spicier than I normally write because it's in Gar's perspective. Let's just assume that from this point on, any chapter can be considered M rated. There might be something in this chapter that confuses you, but all will be answered later. That's all I'm going to say for now!_

~0~0~0~

Gar was on cloud nine.

It turned out Raven had wanted to stay in Jump City just as much as he wanted her to. After their kiss she had agreed to stay with him, unpacking her bags with the flourish of her hand. The next several days that followed only made the happiness in Gar's chest swell. Life had continued as normal for the two of them since their 'vacation' had started, but there was a new excitement in the air. Although neither had discussed the meaning behind their first kiss, that wasn't to say there weren't more.

They would always be brief gentle touches, usually initiated by Gar, but sometimes by Raven. He would sneak up behind her while she brewed her morning tea and press his lips behind her ear. She would be reading her book while he played video games one moment and peck his cheek in the next.

Gar of course, wanted to take this newfound affection they had for each other further, but this was _Raven_ he was talking about. They went back years and he respected their friendship too much to throw it away with hasty decisions. Not to mention he didn't want to shatter this new development in their relationship so soon.

Then one day, while they were sparring in the training room-his idea not hers-she asked him on a date. There was no discrepancy, for the term 'date' had been used in the question. He had spluttered for second, frustrated because how could he not have thought to ask her first? Before he left her hanging for too long, he accepted, and that evening the two went out to the best Chinese restaurant in the city.

Gar had been pleasantly surprised when she had wanted to leave the hologram rings behind. "I want to go with the real you," she had said, making his insides feel funny. The date had gone well-they even arrested a petty thief trying to break into a jewelry store afterwards-so they continued to go on them. Civilians around Jump were starting to talk, Gar could tell. If Raven was bothered by the gossip, however, she never showed it.

One night after they had returned from seeing the latest blockbuster, Gar was about to lean in and give her a kiss good night, when she gently pushed him up against the wall and attached her mouth to his. His eyes widened in surprise for only a moment before they slid shut, his hands coming around to grip her waist. Up until this point there had only been chaste, nervous kisses between the two.

Raven's hand came up to rest on his neck, her lips pressing with a little more force. Gar parted his lips and felt her tongue slid in to meet his. She tasted like the teas she drank, not that he had ever made himself a cup.

His hands rose until he had fistfuls of her violet hair slipping between his fingers. Her body moved into his and he kissed her more fiercely, the scent of her own lust encouraging him.

All too soon she stepped back, her cheeks tinged with red as she told him good night, disappearing down the corridor. Perhaps it was for the best; she probably didn't want to rush things either. At least that's what he told himself as he stood breathless and unbelievable flustered in the darkened hallway.

The next several times they went out they would come back and find each other in the dark. Each time went a little further, became a little more desperate. Once, he had her underneath him on the sofa, her cloak a jumbled mess on the floor. Her hair was strewn over the black cushions of the couch; one of her legs came up so her foot was flat against the cushions, providing a place for him to rest his body.

"These boots are so freaking hot on you," he whispered, his hands travelling up her outer leg. Thigh high boots. Big fan.

He peppered kisses along her neck as her hand travelled down his back, running over his behind briefly before roaming upwards again. He smiled against her skin; she knew _exactly_ what she was doing. As he met her mouth again, her tongue darted out to meld with his. His hand moved up to cup her breast over her leotard, and she made a small gasp.

Gar assumed she knew he was extremely turned on by her. It was kind of hard-no pun intended-to hide something that obvious when he was flush against her body. She shifted, rolling over and pushing him down so she was on top.

"You're so sexy," he mumbled, as she leaned down to suck on his bottom lip. He could feel her smiling against his lips, and he knew this was her own way of thanking him for the compliment. It was no surprise he was the more vocal one in the bedroom...er…living room. Talking dirty wasn't really something Raven was comfortable with, but it didn't bother Gar. Her little gasps and moans were all he needed.

She moved her hips against his, and he groaned, not entirely sure if she had done it on purpose. She released his lips and moved hers to his ear. "Garfield," she said, and he opened his eyes, not realizing they had closed. She swallowed; a sign Gar knew meant she was nervous. "Stay with me tonight," she said softly, staring right at him.

Gar stiffened underneath her. "Really?"

She nodded shyly, moving off of him to collect her cloak. "I'll be in my room when you're ready," she said from over her shoulder, and then phased into the ground.

Gar sprung up a second later, racing to his room and performing the essentials with shaking hands. _Breath spray, check, hair brushed, check, new uniform, check,_ he thought, his mind on overdrive. When he had done all he could do, Gar speed walked down the hallway until he was in front of her doorway.

The door was open; as it had been the first night they kissed. Raven sat on her bed, but when she noticed his presence, she stood up to greet him. She had brushed her hair, and by the minty smell he was getting from her, had brushed her teeth as well. He smiled. So he wasn't the only one going through the preparations.

When he walked through her doorway she lifted her hand, using her powers to close the door behind him. They stood apart like that for what felt like hours. Gar cleared his throat, suddenly extremely nervy. It was similar to how he had felt a couple months ago, when she had first arrived at the Tower for Star and Nightwing's wedding.

She looked as lost as he felt, for her shoulders were stiff, and she kept glancing at the floor. Eventually, he decided to brave up and close the distance between them, holding her in his arms. She gazed up at him, her eyes never leaving his as she reached up to unclasp her cloak again. It fell to the floor, billowing around their feet. Craning her neck up to kiss him, Gar's eyes closed as his arms tightened around her. His palms ran down her back and over her behind before coming to rest at the backs of her thighs. He lifted her up and placed her back carefully on her bed, climbing over her.

"Any chance you can keep the boots on?" he teased, and she whacked his shoulder.

Layer by layer they shed, each article of clothing falling to the ground in a flutter. Their exposed skin met in clashing colors, but Gar found he liked the combination. He lifted his body up, scanning over her.

"Don't stare," she muttered, clearly embarrassed at being so exposed in front of him.

"Okay, I won't if you don't want me to," he told her, kissing her stomach. "But I think you should know you're a total babe." He grinned as her face shifted between various shades of red. Climbing over her so his face was lined up with hers, he gave her a kiss. He pulled back after a moment, realizing something. "I, uh, don't have a condom."

She swallowed again, this time looking anywhere but him. "I don't think it will matter…I…can't have children."

Gar furrowed his eyebrows, unsure how to feel about such personal information. "How do you know?"

"I'm a hybrid; a product of the consummation between human and demon. Any chance that my human side would have to procreate would be immediately destroyed by my demonic side. Arella told me this when I was at a young age."

"Oh."

Raven nodded, swallowing again. "If you don't want to…"

"No, I want to," he said, kissing her. "You're so beautiful, Rae." She looked up at him, the affection she felt pooling in her eyes. "but," Gar continued, a devilish smile appearing on his lips, "I want to do a few other things first…"

Her brows furrowed in confusion until he ran his hand down her body, coming to rest between her legs. Her expression of confusion faded into one of pleasure as his hand moved slowly. He watched her eyes drift close and her lips part, emitting a sound that made Gar want to moan himself. As he leaned down to suck along her neck, his eyes became trained on the wall beside them, watching as their bodies moved together under the candlelight.

~0~0~0~

"We should call the others tomorrow," Raven mentioned a while later, her cheek resting on his naked shoulder. "They have a right to know about us."

Gar trailed his fingers over her side, marveling how her skin prickled in a shiver. "Yeah, you're right. Wonder what they'll think."

"They're good friends. They'll be happy."

"Yeah." Gar closed his eyes, loving the feeling of her deliciously warm curves pressed against him. He could already feel himself getting hard again.

"Gar?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we even call ourselves heroes anymore?"

The question caught him off guard. "…Sure, I mean we still take out bad guys from time to time. We ran into Doctor Light the other day even, remember that?"

"It doesn't feel like we are," she mused.

"That's because we're on vacation," he argued.

She propped herself up on her elbows so she could look at him. Gar watched as the sheet fell down her naked back. "Vacations don't usually last this long."

"So it's an extended vacation then."

Raven rolled her eyes, but a smile graced her features.

"Hey I've got a question for _you_ now," he said, sitting up. She made a gesture with her hand, signaling for him to continue. "How come I was always the one to call you? Back when you were at temple and I was doing free-lance."

To his surprise her expression took on a more somber look. "My reasoning was pathetic."

"I bet it's not. Come on; tell me. How come you never called?"

She stared down at her hands. "To see if you wouldn't."

Slowly, her words sank in. This whole time she had been too afraid to call him because she had figured one time, he just wouldn't want to talk to her anymore. Gar knew Raven could be vulnerable, but he never knew how much until he was this close with her.

"I love you," he said, grasping her hand tightly. "I mean it, Rae."

He watched her eyes widened, and for one dreadful moment he thought he had fucked everything up. Then, miraculously to him, her eyes became soft and she moved over him, the sheet all but falling off her body.

"I love you too, Gar," she breathed, settling over him. They gasped as their bodies joined for the second time that evening.

When Gar woke the next morning, he didn't know where he was for a moment. Then, feeling the empath shift in his arms in her sleep, he remembered. A big, goofy, smile spread over his face.

A few hours later when they were both showered and dressed, both Gar and Raven sat down to call their friends to tell them the news. Cyborg and Sarah had both been elated. Cyborg especially made a point to rub in Gar's face that he had known all along. When Raven gazed at the changeling questioningly, he just waved her off with an embarrassed look on his face. They then called Starfire and Nightwing in Bludhaven. Starfire had been so overjoyed that she had floated to the ceiling, revealing her now fairly pregnant belly. Nightwing was completely flabbergasted, but Gar wasn't too surprised knowing that his former teammate wasn't the most emotionally intelligent. Nonetheless the raven-haired hero congratulated the two on their relationship.

After the calls had been made, Raven seemed to be much more relaxed. Gar supposed keeping such an important detail of their lives from their friends had been silently eating her with guilt. As she met his eyes, Gar was struck, not for the first time, by how beautiful she was. Slipping into her arms, he gave her a passionate kiss.

"What was that for?" she asked.

He just shrugged, his dopey smile never truly leaving his face.

~0~0~0~

As the days rolled on, Gar found his relationship with Raven had deepened significantly. There really wasn't anything he didn't feel comfortable talking to her about, and he knew that she was opening up to him more and more every day.

They had a few spats, of course. Every couple did, and with personalities so different it was bound to happen. They usually resolved it within a few hours at the most.

Gar was very often pleasantly surprised about the perks of being so close with someone else. Every time something exciting happened, he looked forward to telling Raven about it. He enjoyed being there for special occasions like celebrating her 22nd birthday. He loved talking with her. He loved how he was occasionally able to get her to laugh.

He loved the sex. Shit, she was so sexy. By now there weren't many places in the Tower that they _hadn't_ done it. They did it on the sofa, in the training room, in both of their bedrooms, even once on the roof, although Raven had covered them with her powers. He especially loved having her in the shower. Watching the water hit her body as he moved into her was a huge turn on. He found she could be a minx when she wanted to be. Nobody else may have believed it, but the normally reserved Raven could really unleash her demonic side in the bedroom when she felt like it. It excited him and also terrified him a bit. But the good kind of terrifying.

He had all but moved into her room. There really was not point keeping his stuff in his own bedroom, considering he didn't even sleep there anymore. That was where they were now, undressing each other slowly after a meal of Thai noodles that Gar had helped Raven prepare.

As he slid her black panties off, letting them fall to the floor, he paused, mentally chastising himself. He had completely forgotten he was supposed to run an errand after dinner, but he had clearly gotten sidetracked as was usual when it came to Raven.

"What's wrong?" she questioned, a little breathlessly.

He shook his head. "Nothing, I forgot to do something is all."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is it important?"

 _Yes._ "No, it's alright. It can wait."

"I can sense you, Gar. I'm trying not to, but it's hard when your emotions are screaming at me. You're all nerves."

"Oh, sorry." Damn her empathetic abilities. "It's really not a big deal. I can handle it, I promise."

Raven looked like she was about to argue, but Gar scooted down and buried his head between her legs, finding the perfect way to satisfy both of them, while also ceasing any sort of questions she had for him.

Later on, when he was certain she had fallen asleep, he dressed himself and snuck out of her room. It was only eleven o'clock, too late for most stores to be open, but early enough where window display lights showcasing various merchandise might still be on. Morphing into his usual falcon, Gar took to the skies, landing neatly on an empty street in downtown Jump fifteen minutes later.

There were a couple of people milling about, but for the most part the street was empty, due to it being a weeknight. Gar walked around, scanning the names of various businesses until he found one that resembled what he wanted. Jogging forwards, he pressed his hands flat against the glass, peering inside. Thankfully the display lights were still on, so he could get a better look at his potential purchase.

His eyes flitted over necklaces and bracelets and rings, all in varying shapes, sizes, and colors. Some had massive, gaudy stones attached to them, others just the silver or gold body. Gar frowned, not really sure if he would find what he was looking for, and he cursed himself again for not coming there earlier. He was about to turn away and call it a night when something caught his eye. It was a wonder he even saw it at all, for it was located in the far back left corner, almost completely missed by the spots of light in the windows.

It was a simple, silver engagement ring. No flashy diamond or gemstone, just a thin, metal band that was modest, but glimmered in its own special way. It was subtle, but it was beautiful.

It would be perfect for Raven.

He would have to leave to purchase it tomorrow without it seeming suspicious. Perhaps he could do it while she was in the shower or meditating. He would it figure out. Satisfied with his recon mission, he changed into an avian creature and flew in the direction of the Tower.

He knew they were young, and he knew they really hadn't been dating for all that long. Many couples dated for years before they tied the knot. It wasn't like he planned to propose as soon as he got home with the thing, but it would be nice to have on hand just in case he found the perfect moment. He was by no means in any rush though. That perfect moment could happen in days, or weeks or even months. Whenever it was though, he would be ready.

He knew he wanted to be with her, to always be with her. This was the perfect way to show her how serious he was about it. No jokes this time. He would die for her. He would do anything for her; sacrifice anything for her.

Even kids.

Raven had already told him several weeks ago that she had not wanted kids, but now he knew she couldn't even have them, according to Arella. That was alright. Sure, he had looked forward to being a dad someday, but Raven's opinion on the subject could still change. Maybe she thought she wouldn't be a good mother? He knew this wasn't true; he had seen the way she interacted with those kids during the final battle with the Brotherhood of Evil. She was too caring to not be a good mother.

If she changed her mind there were always other options too. Cyborg and Sarah were adopting after all, so why couldn't they? Maybe one of Starfire's Tamaranean baby doctors could help them out. He was sure Galfore wouldn't mind if he asked. Yes, they had a lot of options, and he could feel it that whatever happened, everything would work out.

When Gar returned home, he stopped by his room. He felt under his bottom bunk mattress until he came across the jar he wanted. Pulling the container out, he opened the bottle and dumped out the meager supply he had received in donations and good old-fashioned hard labor while working free-lance. It wasn't enough for the engagement ring. It probably couldn't even cover half, but Gar would work for the jeweler himself if he had to, to get the ring.

Shoving the money back into the jar, he placed it under the mattress again. He entered Raven's room, finding she was still asleep. Smiling at how the moonlight lit up her pale skin, Gar undressed himself again and hoped into bed beside her. He fell asleep thinking about rings and gray skin.

The next morning Gar, eager to stick to his plan, attempted to leave the Tower without Raven noticing. Bad plan. He was terrible with secrets, surprises, really anything. Immediately after they had shared breakfast he broke out in a sweat and began laughing nervously at nearly everything she said.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

She was on to him. He just knew it. Worst of all was, once she realized he was keeping something from her she would begin to get angry. And an angry Raven meant a very in trouble Gar.

"Y-yeah, I just told you I have to run a couple of super important errands, remember?" His entire back was slick with perspiration.

She watched his hand shake as he lifted a glass of water to his lips. "Like what?"

Some of the water sloshed out of the glass and onto the counter. "Ya know, like really boring, lame stuff," he spluttered, giving her an overly large smile.

She raised her eyebrows. "I thought you said they were important errands."

His smile immediately faded. "Uh, yeah! They're like lame, important errands, hahahaha…." He was going to lose his mind at this point.

Thankfully the ops screen fizzled as a transmission came through and Cyborg's face popped onto the large monitor a few seconds later.

"Cyborg!" Gar called breathlessly, jogging over to speak to the cybernetic hero via video chat. Raven followed closely behind him, her shoulders still hunched in irritation at Gar's evasiveness. "Am I glad to see you! We could use some good news, right Rae?" He elbowed his girlfriend in a forced manner.

Cyborg's expression, however, was one of someone who most certainly did not have good news to share. "It's Starfire," he told them, his voice deadly serious. "Something's wrong with the baby."

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _Ah! I'm sorry I'm so horrible. Next chapter: A journey to Tamaran to save Nightwing and Starfire's baby! More BB/Rae to come, as always._


	7. Mar'i

**Author's Note:**

 _For those of you who know a little about the comics, the title of this chapter kind of gives away what is to come in this tidbit. That's right, I'm keeping it cannon in terms of this, don't worry. Warning: some mature content below. Please enjoy!_

~0~0~0~

Gar and Raven packed the T-Ship in under ten minutes. Nightwing and Starfire were already on their way to Tamaran, in the hopes that one of the doctor's on Starfire's home world could save their child. Cyborg had told Raven and Gar that the Justice League had supplied him with a ship for him to meet them all there. Normally, Raven would have just teleported Cyborg back to Jump so they could all travel together, but she didn't want to risk wasting her energy in case there was something she could do to help Starfire.

Neither Gar nor Raven were experts in flying. In fact, out of the original team they were probably the least confident in engineering and aerodynamics. Piloting two individual pods was easy enough though. Besides, it wasn't like they could have taken the entire ship anyway. Robin and Starfire had kept their parts of the ship from when they had returned from their honeymoon.

 _It's a good thing they did,_ Gar thought as he powered his pod up. _Who knows what they would have done if they hadn't._

"Gar, do you copy?" Raven's crackly voice came in through his transmitter.

"I copy, I think."

"Good. Let's get this over with."

Despite the tense situation, Gar smirked. Raven never was one for space travel.

Soon enough the two pods had blasted off, breaking Earth's atmosphere within minutes. Gar jolted as he felt the blasters behind his pod sputter to life, adjusting to the change in pressure. He saw Raven's pod to his left.

"How long do you think it will take to get to Tamaran?" Gar inquired.

"If we're lucky, two hours," Raven said, her voice tight with stress. "I just hope we make it in time."

"Maybe the doctors there will know what to do?" Gar questioned hopefully.

He heard Raven sigh. "It's difficult to say. In theory, Starfire and Nightwing shouldn't have been able to conceive. They are entirely different species, with no overlap in genetics whatsoever. Maybe her body just…finally rejected the fetus."

Gar's heart plummeted at the thought. "How far along was she? Maybe they could just take it out early?"

"She told me a couple of months ago that Tamaranean pregnancies are slightly shorter than human ones," she explained. "Even so, it's too early for her to be in labor."

"Everything will be okay," Gar said, more for his benefit than for hers. He paused, something Raven had said was picking at him. "What did you mean? When you said that thing about their genetics not overlapping?"

"Starfire's one hundred percent Tamaranean. Nightwing is one hundred percent human. It would have been impossible for them to get pregnant without help, and even then it was still miraculous."

"So they would have had a better chance of getting pregnant if Starfire was say…half human?" he questioned carefully.

Raven hesitated. "In theory. I'm no expert when it comes to the fertility of alien species, but in that scenario there would be overlap. So it could potentially make a difference."

Gar gripped the controls of his pod a little tighter. "So what if, like, the guy's genes were slightly altered human ones, and then the girl was like half-human and half…something else?"

Raven was silent for a very long time, and Gar regretted asking the question. Finally, he heard her voice come in through his headset. "Why are you asking me this, Gar?"

"I dunno…just trying to pass the time I guess," he answered lamely, knowing she would be able to see right through the excuse. They travelled in silence for the better part of an hour; all the while Gar was lost in his own thoughts.

He was such an idiot. He had just basically asked her if despite what she had told him, there was still a chance they could have children. He hadn't even bought the damn engagement ring yet, and he was already fishing for questions about their future kids! How more idiotic could he get?

It was true they had never used protection, but Raven had been told all her life that it would be impossible for her to conceive. Her heritage was at war, a battle that constantly raged inside her every day. It was why she had to meditate so much. And bringing children up again had probably just reminded her of that.

He felt like such a dick.

The rest of their journey was uncomfortably quiet, at least in Gar's opinion. The only good thing about the lack of conversation was that it allowed him to focus on getting to Starfire as quickly as possible. They landed their pods in just under two and a half hours, the pink and orange colors of Tamaran greeting them the same way as when Gar had visited the first time.

As they left their units, Gar noticed a Justice League spacecraft stationed several meters away, indicating Cyborg was already there. They sprinted, or in Raven's case flew, to the palace doors as if their lives depended on it. Two Tamaranean warriors blocked the entrance to the palace, their hands gripping their alien weaponry as the two approached. They said something in Tamaranean, something neither of them understood.

"We're here to see Starfire," Gar said desperately, not believing that they came all this way only to be blocked by some guards. His shoulders tensed, preparing to shift. If they weren't going to let him in he was going to _make_ them.

He hesitated when he felt Raven's calming hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her, but her eyes were focused on the guards. They narrowed beneath her hood.

"Koriand'r," she said, stating Starfire's name in Tamaranean in a clear voice.

The guards looked to each other, muttering for a moment before stepping aside and allowing them to pass. The two former Titans ran through the doorway, looking around for a familiar face.

"How did you know they would let us through?" Gar asked as they ran through the palace's decorative hallways.

"I didn't," Raven admitted, "but I figured Galfore would have told them Starfire's friends where on their way." She stopped running and held her arm out so Gar would stop as well. "Look."

Gar turned his head and sure enough, Cyborg, Nightwing and Galfore were sitting outside a large, magenta stoned door. Well, Cyborg was sitting anyway. Nightwing was pacing back and forth, his hands tugging forcefully at his hair, while Galfore stood stone still, his knuckles white as he gripped his scepter.

Cyborg glanced up as he saw Gar and Raven approach. His worried expression turned into a relieved smile. "Great, you guys made it." He gave Raven a brief hug and patted Gar on the back.

"How is she?" Gar questioned, and then flinched as Starfire's scream pierced through the stone of the doorway.

Cyborg grimaced, glancing at Nightwing who was still pacing. "She's been like this for about an hour. They got one of those Tamaranean witch doctors in there with her. All we can do is wait."

"Why's Dick out here instead of in there?" Gar asked, perhaps a little too loudly.

"It is forbidden for a male to enter the birthing room while one of our females is in labor," Galfore's voice boomed beside him. Gar heard Nightwing mutter something under his breath that sounded like 'fucking bullshit,' but he didn't draw attention to the comment.

"Then let me enter," Raven said, stepping forwards.

Galfore frowned. "It is not customary for an off-worlder to enter…"

"Please," Raven pleaded, stepping in front of the gargantuan man. "My powers can heal. I may be her only chance." Gar wasn't sure if by 'her' Raven meant Starfire or her unborn daughter. After all, they were the only two who knew what the baby's sex would be.

Galfore bowed his head, and for one heart-sinking moment, Gar thought he would refuse. Finally, the Grand Ruler nodded, and Raven phased through the stone doors without a second to spare.

They waited for the better part of three hours. For about two of those hours, Starfire's screams continued, each one more pain-filled than the last. Even from outside the labor room, Gar could pick up the scent of blood; it hung thick in the air. He wanted to gag. Nightwing had retreated to a far corner, and although Gar knew he would never take off his mask when there were guards around, the changeling could see the older man's shoulder shaking as he sobbed silently.

Twenty more minutes passed before the doors opened, causing all four men to start. Raven walked through alone. Her hood was down and her hair was a mess. There was a smear of blood on her cheek, and the thick liquid coated her hands. She appeared to be beyond drained, and she even swayed where she stood. Gar would have come up to her, but Nightwing beat him to it.

"Is she okay?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

A small, tired smile graced Raven's mouth. "She's okay. They both are."

And just like that the weight was lifted. Nightwing crushed Raven in a grateful hug before sprinting down the short passage to the birthing room. Gar nearly had to leap out of the way as Galfore barreled through next, followed by Raven. Gar made a move to trail them, but Cyborg placed a hand on his shoulder. Gar glanced at the half-robot in confusion.

"Let's just give them a minute," Cyborg suggested, and Gar nodded, sitting down with the cybernetic hero. They were silent for a while until Cyborg finally cleared his throat. "So…you and Raven, huh?"

Gar grinned. "Yeah."

"How long's it been?"

"I don't really know. Maybe like five months? Feels like longer."

Cyborg gave him a warning look. "Don't go breaking her heart, ya hear?"

Gar laughed. "You don't have to worry about that, Dude." He paused, debating how much he should reveal to his best friend. "Actually, I was looking for rings before you called."

Cyborg stilled. Gar was about to ask what was wrong when he felt two metal arms crushing him in a bear hug. "Aw, yeah Man! You, go!"

"Thanks, Vic," Gar said, tapping out to breathe.

Cyborg gave him mercy as he let go of the smaller man. "I'm happy for you, BB. Really."

Gar chuckled. "Thanks…but it's Changeling now, remember?" He noticed for the first time, however, that the name felt wrong coming from his lips.

Cyborg seemed to understand the green hero's odd expression, for he smiled knowingly at his friend. "Right." They both glanced up as they heard the cry of a baby. "Come on," Cyborg said, rising. "I think that's our cue."

When they entered the room, Starfire sat on a strange sort of cushion that Gar assumed was something like the Tamaranean equivalent to a hospital bed. Her forehead was drenched in sweat and she looked even more exhausted than Raven, but her tear-filled eyes were bright, and she wore a soft smile. Galfore stood over his _bumgorf,_ his hand on her shoulder. A Tamaranean woman Gar didn't recognize was there too, but she left as soon as he and Cyborg arrived. Gar assumed she must have been the 'doctor.'

Raven sat beside Starfire on her own cushion. She held the orange girl's hand, but her back and head leaned against the wall in exhaustion. Like Starfire, she had a tender smile on her face as she watched the newborn.

Sure enough, Raven's prediction had come true, for Nightwing held a baby daughter, rocking her back and forth. Her fresh skin was tinged with orange, and she had a tuft of dark hair on her head. Nightwing, or Dick rather for his mask was now off, stared down at his newborn child as if she were the most beautiful thing in the galaxy.

"It's a baby girl," Cyborg said softly. "Congratz y'all."

"What are you gonna name her?" Gar inquired.

"Mar'i," Starfire said, looking at her husband and child fondly. "Mar'i Grayson. But that is only for us. To the world she will be known as Nightstar."

"Good choice," Cyborg remarked, coming to stand behind Dick to get a better look at their child. "I bet Babs will be eager to meet her godchild."

"She won't stop calling me about it," Dick chuckled. "Bruce too. Even Tim's called multiple times. We'll have to make sure to stop by Gotham on our way home." One of his hands came up to stroke his daughter's cheek lovingly.

Gar stood awkwardly to the side, not really knowing what to do with himself. Dick must have noticed his staring, for he turned to address the changeling. "Speaking of godparents, Gar would you like to hold her?"

"Uh, sure," Gar said, the words not really sinking in yet. As Mar'i was placed in his arms, however, the force of what Dick had just said hit him. "Wait, _what?_ I-I thought Cyborg-"

"We believed it to be fair since Cyborg was the one to give me away at our wedding," Starfire explained from her cushion, her eyes shining. "Is this the okay with you?"

Gar stared down at the baby girl in his arms. She wiggled a little bit, so he made sure he had a firm hold on her. Up until this point, her eyes had been closed, but when Gar shifted her in his arms, they opened revealing startling shades of green throughout.

"It's awesome," he responded to Starfire's question softly, staring down at the girl in amazement. Gar felt Raven's gaze on him, and he looked up, watching as she gave him one of her signature gentle smiles.

Gar smiled back with tears in his eyes.

~0~0~0~

Many hours later Gar climbed into the strangest bed of his life, surprisingly drained from the day. He was sure his female friends felt a thousand times more exhausted. Frankly, he wasn't sure how either of them was just getting to bed _now._

The plan was to return to Jump City the following morning. Sarah's flight would get in around lunchtime so she would be able to meet Mar'i. Everyone would stay a night together in the Tower before leaving the next afternoon. Nightwing decided it would make sense for Starfire and him to leave their pods with the T-Ship in Jump, so the couple and their new baby would fly back with Cyborg and Sarah, who were willing to drop them in Gotham on their way home. Gar grinned as he undressed himself, sliding under the covers of the Tamaranean 'bed.' He was sure Batgirl was in a tizzy, waiting to meet her goddaughter.

He lifted his head as he heard Raven come into the room. The blood and afterbirth had been washed from her skin; her hair was still damp from the water she had used. Gar pursed his lips in thought, trying to imagine what the showers on this planet looked like.

Raven sighed as she removed her towel, offering him a brief glimpse of her moonlike skin before slipping into a pair of black panties and bra. She looked better than she had earlier in the day, more refreshed.

"You must be exhausted," he commented, sitting up in his bed.

Her back was to him, but he saw her shake her head. "I feel better, now that I've had a chance to meditate."

"Still though, what you did for Dick and Starfire was pretty amazing. You saved Mar'i."

"I did what any friend would do," she said evenly, her back still to him. "Besides, they thanked me more than was necessary." Her tone was bland, clipped even. Gar frowned, remembering the tension from their journey earlier. He still needed to apologize for that. She moved under the covers, lying on her back with her eyes closed.

"Rae?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry…about before." She opened her eyes. "It was a totally stupid, selfish thing to bring up," he continued. "I didn't mean to make you mad."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Gar," she said, surprising him.

"I don't?" he questioned, confused.

She shook her head, turning on her side to face him. "It's not you. Not really. It's just something I need to figure out on my own."

Her vague reasoning did little to solve his confusion. Still, he felt a twinge of hope. Maybe, down the road, she would want to have kids with him and was willing to look into it eventually? Trying not to feed his wishful theories, Gar scooted down so he was eye level with her. His hand cupped her neck, then traced her bare shoulder all the way down to her waist. He felt pleased with himself as she visibly shivered. Moving his head forwards, he gently tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth, deftly sliding his tongue into her mouth.

"I love you," he murmured between kisses. She didn't respond, too busy on moving with his mouth, but he felt her heartbeat pick up. His mouth hovered downwards to suck on her shoulder, his hands maneuvering around to cup her behind. He moved over her, reaching his hand down to gently push her legs apart, so he could position himself between them.

"Gar, no," she muttered, and he paused. "Not tonight."

"Right, you must be really tired," he remembered, rolling off of her.

She propped herself up on her elbows. "It's not that it's…" she hesitated, clearly unsure of what she wanted to say to him. He furrowed his eyebrows, not used to seeing Raven this uncertain about something. Instead she crawled over him, gently pushing his torso back so he lay flat on the bed.

Her lips came onto him with surprising ferocity, plunging her tongue into his mouth, her hands tangled in his hair. Gar groaned as her hips rubbed against his. He tried lifting his head to get better access to her mouth, but she held her hand in place, preventing him from sitting up. She released his lips a moment later and moved down his body until she was under the covers. His hands fisted the sheets of the bed when he felt her mouth on him.

He was having a great time, don't get him wrong, but there was something off about her. Maybe she was just stressed about what had happened that day. He knew he definitely couldn't do what she had done. He was too squeamish. Deciding to let her odd behavior fade from his mind, he completely relaxed, enjoying the feeling of her lips and tongue.

He even forgot about the fact he had used similar methods on her not too long ago when engagement rings were on his mind.

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _Hmm, what's up with Raven? Also, don't you just enjoy my explanation about superhero genetics? LOL, I'm probably making a geneticist cry somewhere. Hey, if Robin and Starfire having a kid is cannon, then screw genetics, anything is possible._


	8. Ring

The former Titans, plus Mar'i, remained on Tamaran until the next morning. Starfire was reluctant to leave Galfore so soon, but Gar understood she also was eager to return to Earth so Mar'i could meet her grandfather on her father's side. Gar and Raven were actually the first to leave; for they wanted to make sure the Tower was ready for their friends when they arrived to rest.

Gar found the conversation on the way back held little to no tension. At times Raven seemed a little quiet, but Gar was certain once she was home she would feel like herself again. In a couple of hours, Gar was able to glimpse Earth, and he nearly cried out with joy. Tamaranean bathrooms always confused him, and he _really_ had to pee.

Once they landed in southern California and connected their pods back with Cyborg's, Gar raced to the bathroom to prevent an accident. When he emerged again, the tank now empty, he found Raven using her powers to clean any leftover food and clutter in the ops room. After aiding her in her cleanup, Gar snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You know, they won't be back for at least another hour," he murmured in her ear. Normally Raven would have whipped around and pushed him onto the sofa or kitchen table, but instead she casually stepped out of his embrace. Gar frowned, but didn't comment.

"I need to go to my room," Raven announced, after she had finished cleaning their mess.

"Want company?" Gar inquired.

She shook her head. "This is something I need to do on my own."

Gar watched her leave the room with a disappointed look on his face. He tried not to be too bothered though. He knew Raven had definitely pushed herself yesterday while aiding Starfire in her birth, so it was quite possible her powers were just on the fritz. Raven always got a little touchy when it came to losing control, so Gar made it a note to give her space.

Actually, this could be the perfect opportunity to stop by the jeweler. Gar grinned, pleased with himself for his brilliance. After making a pit stop to his room to collect his savings, Gar travelled to the same jewelry boutique he had visited a few days ago.

Now that it was daylight, he could get a better glimpse of what he intended to buy. Maybe the worker would even let him pick the ring up while he examined it.

Gar wasn't usually a forward thinker, but when it came to something this important, he had to be. He figured news would spread quickly if 'Beast Boy' went to look at engagement rings, and he wanted to surprise Raven, so he went as his civilian self instead. Upon entering the jewelry store, he glimpsed one couple and a few other men who appeared to be around the same age as him, glancing at the selection. As soon as he walked through the door, a worker approached him. He was a dark-skinned man with a shiny, shaved head and dazzling smile. His pants alone looked like they cost more than Gar's life earnings.

"Can I help you find anything, Sir?" the man asked.

"U-uh, yeah," Gar responded, a little intimidated. "I was looking at the silver engagement ring you had on the window display? It's, like, the silver one without the diamond. It's…silver."

"Shopping for that special lady?" the man guessed. When Gar nodded, the worker continued talking as he made his way behind the counter. "Well if you're looking for an inexpensive engagement ring, I can assure you there are some with diamonds that are much more affordable. That way your lady can get what she wants, and you won't have to break your bank."

"She wouldn't want a diamond," Gar protested, insulted that the worker assumed he was trying to be cheap.

"Of course she wouldn't," the man said, glancing at him sympathetically. Before Gar could retort with something snarky, the man brought out the ring he had been eyeing. "Here you are."

"Can I pick it up?"

"Of course!"

Gar examined the ring thoroughly. It was pretty and simple, and he was very much pleased with it. Maybe once he proposed he would have Cyborg make some adjustments so it could be more durable while Raven was in battle.

"What do you think?" the man inquired.

"I'll take it," Gar responded, smiling.

"Excellent. I'll ring you up."

This was the part Gar was dreading. He had no perception of what an engagement ring cost, but he knew it wasn't cheap. That being said, the worker was right; rings without diamonds were significantly cheaper. Maybe there was a chance…

"So your total is going to come to $1,300 today," the worker said, gazing at Gar expectantly.

He was four hundred dollars short. Why did he think this could work out for him? Gar gripped his hair, about to lose it. "I'm sorry. I only have $900 on me. I'll have to come back another time or something."

The man frowned. "You could qualify for a loan, you know."

Gar glanced off to the side. "I don't exactly have a bank account." The worker stared at him as if he had two heads. Gar didn't blame him. It was unheard of for a normal civilian his age to not have a bank account. Then again, he wasn't a normal civilian. "I could work at the shop, maybe? Earn back the money?" He smiled at the worker hopefully.

"What do you think this is? The 1940's? We don't do those kinds of deals here," the man replied, shaking his head in disbelief.

Gar sighed, feeling like a total noob. He really hadn't thought this through at all. "Maybe Cyborg could make something for me," he muttered to himself, not even realizing he had done it out loud.

The man watched him curiously, and then, after studying Gar closely, his jaw dropped. "You're…you're a Titan, aren't you?"

Gar could feel sweat on his forehead. "Uhhh…."

"You are!" The man clapped in delight. Then, before Gar could try to cover for himself, the man leaned closer to him. "Tell you what. I don't normally do this, but considering you're a Titan, this could benefit me as well. I'll let you buy the ring for $900, as long as you tell everyone in this city that you got it as my shop, ya hear?"

"Wait, really?" Gar asked, his head jerking back in shock. "That's it?"

The man smiled widely. "Of course! Once everyone finds out that a Teen Titan bought his engagement ring at _my_ jewelry store, I'll be flooded with customers!"

"Oh, um, okay. Yeah, I could totally do that," Gar said, still not believing his luck.

"Fantastic," the man gushed, "Now I'm just going to need you to sign a few things…"

Several minutes later, Gar returned to the Tower with the ring in his small backpack. He couldn't get the smile off of his face if he tried. When he revisited his room, he made sure to place the small box holding the ring in his bedroom drawer. The next time he would open it would be when he was proposing the Raven.

No sooner had he shut the drawer when he heard the telltale signs of a crying infant; a key sign the others had returned. He could hear the voices drifting from ops, and he jogged down to welcome them his guests.

They were all there, even Sarah, whom Cyborg had picked up from the airport. The couple was currently gushing over a crying Mar'i, Starfire bouncing the girl lightly in her arms.

"Shh, do not fret my little _bumgorf,_ your _K'Norfka_ is here," she sang, kissing the cheeks of her crying daughter. "Oh, I cannot wait for you and Silkie to meet one another, when we return to Bludhaven." Starfire frowned as the girl continued to cry. "Please be happy Mar'i, you are among friends!"

"She's probably tired from her journey," Sarah observed.

"That makes two of us," Nightwing grumbled, but he smiled lovingly down at his daughter. He glanced up as Gar entered the room. "Good to see you got back safe. Where's Raven?"

"In her room. She'll be out soon," Gar answered. He actually had no idea how soon she would return, but he figured the answer was better than nothing. "Is there anything I can get you guys?"

"Just a water would be nice," Sarah asked.

"Make that two," Cyborg called, as Gar went over to the kitchen.

Starfire lit up. "Oh! Perhaps you have the munchies?" she asked Mar'i. The baby girl of course couldn't answer, but that didn't stop Starfire from lifting her shirt and breastfeeding the girl. Nightwing quickly turned Starfire away from their two male friends, while Cyborg and Gar seemed to find the ceiling extremely fascinating. Once Mar'i was fed, her crying ceased, and Starfire shifted her shirt back into place. "There," she said, kissing her daughter's forehead.

"You sure Raven will be out soon?" Cyborg asked as Gar came over with their waters. "If she's not feeling all that great I can run some tests or-"

"That won't be necessary," Raven interrupted him as she entered the room.

Nightwing smiled. "Good to see you, Raven. Starfire and I can't thank you enough."

"So you've told me," Raven responded, smiling wryly. She glanced at Sarah. "It's nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you too, Raven," Sarah replied, beaming. "Heard you made quite the heroic effort yesterday."

"It was nothing," Raven commented, shrugging modestly.

"Would you care to hold her?" Starfire asked, holding Mar'i out.

Gar watched as Raven tried to keep her face expressionless. "No thanks. I'm not really good with kids."

"She'll hold her when she's ready," Nightwing told Starfire, always one to read Raven rather well. He gazed at Cyborg and Sarah. "Speaking of kids, how's the adoption process going?"

"Oh it's going," Sarah said tiredly. "We've been filling out tons of paperwork."

"We're thinking about maybe adopting a child with physical disabilities," Cyborg explained. "Sarah's always been passionate about helping disabled children, and there are definitely lots of them who need good homes." He wrapped his arm around his wife.

"That's great Cy," Gar said. "You're gonna be a great dad."

"Thanks, Green Bean."

As some of the former Titans became enveloped in light conversation, Gar came to stand beside Raven. He wanted to make sure she was okay. He tried several times to catch her eye, however, it always seemed like she didn't see his effort. Gar had a sinking suspicion she was avoiding him though, and he had no idea why.

That night they all ordered an absurd amount of pizzas to gorge themselves on. When Starfire tried feeding Mar'i her dinner the baby girl lifted out of her mother's hands, floating above her as if she were made of air. Starfire squealed in joy while Nightwing's jaw hung so far open Gar was sure a fly would get caught in his mouth. Starfire wasn't at all surprised by Mar'i's new ability, for she told them the doctors on Tamaran had explained her Tamaranean genes would most likely dominate Nightwing's human ones.

Batgirl had called a little while later, threatening to drive to Jump City if she did not see her goddaughter immediately. Once Nightwing had lifted his baby girl in front of the massive ops screen, Batgirl's eyes had filled with tears, and she cursed Dick for allowing her to become so sappy.

Soon everyone, still exhausted from their intergalactic travel, retired to their rooms for the evening. Gar had to admit it felt strange having Cyborg watch him walk into Raven's room like it was the most natural thing in the universe. He was so used to having his relationship with Raven be private, but now that their friends were here, he felt like the rings he had been viewing earlier. On display.

As they shut Raven's bedroom door for the evening, Gar felt his heart beat faster. He had been waiting all day to get Raven alone to himself. She had a way of looking absolutely sexy without even knowing it, which of course made it all that much sexier.

He watched from her bed as she undressed her body, her back to him again. He wanted to tell her to turn around, but he was sure she would whack him for such a blunt request. He hoped she would finish changing soon, though. He couldn't wait to get his hands on her.

When she slipped beside him in bed, however, he hesitated. Something about her body language made him think something was still up. He was starting to believe her cold demeanor towards him had nothing to do with her stress from the day before.

"Raven?" he asked quietly, when she had rolled so her back was to him.

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?"

She sighed. "Nothing's wrong Gar. I promise."

"Then why won't you look at me?"

He caught her shoulders stiffen, and the next moment she had flipped around to face him. "Better?"

Gar smirked. "A little."

Raven shut her eyes. "Good night, Gar," she said, ending any sort of conversation before it even started.

Gar was beginning to get frustrated. He wished she would just tell him what it was he had done wrong, so he could know for next time. Gar wasn't the most emotionally intelligent guy-he was still better than Dick-but he was pretty sure he hadn't done anything to warrant this kind of reaction from her. Sure, the baby comment on the way to Tamaran was sort of rough, but he had already apologized for that, and she had said it was fine. What was he missing?

When he opened his eyes the next morning, Raven had already risen from bed. Gar showered and dressed, and then made his way to ops to fix himself some breakfast. He tried not to freak out when Nightwing was video chatting Batman, making sure to hold his daughter out for her grandfather to see. Somehow the idea of Granddaddy Batman was extremely amusing to Gar.

After the call ended the others began to filter in, bringing packed bags with them. When Gar asked Cyborg if he had seen Raven, he gave the changeling a funny look and told him she had gone to the roof so she could visit Nevermore in a quiet location. The response only amplified Gar's worries.

"Are you sure it's not too much of a hassle to drop us in Gotham?" Nightwing asked, clutching a suitcase in one arm and Mar'i in the other. The girl was currently in the middle of trying to stick her whole baby fist in her mouth.

"Yes, surely we are not being a burden on you friends?" Starfire questioned, wringing her hands together.

"Not a problem. It's a public service to that city, considering Babs will wreak havoc if we don't," Cyborg teased.

"Plus, all the crying baby noises will make excellent practice for when we're parents," Sarah mentioned, and the three of them laughed.

"I hope everything works out for you," Cyborg told Gar as he said goodbye. He gave the green hero a wink just for effect.

Gar gave a forced laugh. _Doesn't feel like it is right now._ "Thanks, Cy. I'll see you around."

"Don't be a stranger," Nightwing called, waving to Gar as he headed in the direction of Cyborg's spacecraft rental.

When all of his friends had finally left, Gar decided to go for a swim. He hadn't been swimming in a long time, and he found it really relieved his nerves. As soon as his feet touched the water by the edge of the Tower, he morphed into a penguin and dipped below the surface. When he was an animal, his instincts took over, sometimes clouding his human thoughts. Screw drinking or beating something until he passed out. This was the real release right here.

After a couple of hours he emerged, feeling refreshed. He almost completely forgot what he was upset about. Feeling more optimistic than he had the past couple of days, he decided to check up on how Raven was doing.

The first place he checked was the Tower, but he figured out pretty quickly she wasn't there. Next he checked her room, then ops, and then the training room. He knocked on the girls' bathrooms and locker rooms, and even went down to the garage. She was nowhere to be found. Realizing she must be out of the Tower, Gar decided to start making dinner for himself. It's not like she would eat a tofu burger anyway.

Once his dinner was finished, he plopped onto the sofa and clicked on the television. _It Came From Jones Lake_ was playing, so he watched the entirety of that movie, and then the next one that came on after that. By then it was dark, and he still hadn't seen Raven return. Telling himself it wasn't a big deal; he dumped his leftover food scraps into the trash and went into Raven's room.

He lay on her bed, his hands folded on his stomach as he stared at the ceiling. As the hours ticked by, his eyes began to get heavy, and soon he had drifted into sleep. The sound of the door opening startled him awake, and he glanced out the window to find the sun had started to rise again.

Getting up from the bed, he watched as Raven walked across the room, her mirror in hand. She didn't even spare him a glance as she placed the item on her bureau.

"You wanna tell me why you've been out all night?" Gar asked, annoyed that she hadn't communicated anything to him.

Her eyes flickered to him for a second before returning to the floor. Her hands reached up to unclasp her cloak. "Nevermore," she answered simply, as if that were enough of an explanation.

"Well, I wish you would have said something, ya know?" He crossed his arms. "You got me worried."

"I can handle myself."

Something in Gar snapped. "I know! I never said you couldn't!" Raven's eyes met his, and he noticed how heavily he was breathing. His throat clogged with emotion and suddenly he felt like _he_ was the one who couldn't look at her. "I hate watching you avoid me, Rae," he said bluntly. "It hurts."

Absolute guilt washed over her face, and for a moment, he could see how much pain was there. "I'm sorry," she spoke, her voice wavering. "I've been mistreating you." She looked away from him. "You don't deserve that. It won't happen again."

She came over to stand by the side of his bed. He grasped her hand, holding it tightly. "What's going on with you, Rae-Rae?"

The pet name made her lips twitch, and Gar felt relieved that he could still make her smile. "It's my powers," she told him, but that was all she said.

Gar wanted to press more, to find out what was really bothering her specifically, but he sensed he would get no answers tonight. At least she had recognized she had been hurting him. Gar knew Raven well enough to know that when something was bothering her, she usually kept it to herself because she didn't want to seem like a burden. He would have to let her work through whatever it was she needed to, and hope she would open up to him eventually. These days he was so used to her sharing things with him that he had almost forgotten how reserved she normally was. He was content with waiting this one out for that reason alone.

Scooting backwards onto the bed, he used her hand to tug her forwards until she was on top of him. By now it had been almost a week since they had had sex, _real_ sex, and Gar was admittedly getting antsy. Hey, up until this point they had been having sex every day, sometimes multiple times, so excuse him for getting accustomed to the good life.

Gar's hand rested on the back of Raven's head as he attacked her mouth, and she responded eagerly. His hand came up to grasp her breast, taut against the fabric of her leotard. He heard her release a gasp in his ear, which only spurred him on further. Out of nowhere, he flipped her over so she bounced against the mattress. He braced his hands on either side of her head, kissing up and down her neck as he tugged her uniform away from her skin. She wiggled underneath him, and he impulsively ground his hips into hers. She gave a gasp of surprise.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I just want you so bad."

She didn't respond, but she reached up to unzip his uniform. He eagerly climbed out of it, tossing the clothing to the floor. Once he was in only his boxers, he reached over to secure a grasp on her zipper, but she slyly ducked out of the reach of his hand. Instead her own hand dug into his boxers, and everything fell into bliss after that.

Later on, when he had his arms wrapped around her, he wondered how she had gotten so sneaky in the bedroom. And not the good kind of sneaky. She didn't seem to want to have sex with him in the same way they had been, and Gar was beyond confused by it.

Closing his eyes for the night, he decided he would have to test his theory.

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _Ugh, I know this chapter was kind of angsty, but I feel like it's important to get across the guilt and insecurities Raven seems to feel from Gar's perspective. The next chapter has a little bit more of that, but it doesn't linger on it too much, I promise._


	9. Hybrid

**Author's Note:**

 _I love hearing about all of your theories on what's going on with Gar and Raven! It's great to see people are talking about this story._

 _Also just a side note:_

 _While I greatly appreciate all types of reviews, I do have to say it is quite frustrating when I get reviews demanding answers from guest accounts, since I cannot contact people without an account. It's ok if you have questions or even things you don't like about the story, but please understand I am not going to take the time to personally address every question in my author's notes from every anonymous review I get. If you have a question or would like to discuss a different interpretation of my story, please make an account so I can PM you with a response._

~0~0~0~

Gar had read about something like this once, about couples that were in a funk. They were the couples that clicked well and totally loved each other, like, a lot, but sometimes they were just disconnected. It was probably healthier than fighting, but it still sucked.

That's how he felt now, like he and Raven were in a funk.

She hadn't avoided him since she had come home late that night, which Gar appreciated, but she hadn't really opened up to him any more either. Every now and then he caught her sending guilty looks his way. She probably assumed he didn't notice-most people wouldn't have after all because she was so subtle-but he knew her enough to tell.

A couple weeks had passed like this. One would think Gar would get so fed up and explode, but the thing was, it wasn't like a constant cloud hanging over his head. In fact, everything was pretty much completely normal. It was only when he caught those looks was he reminded of everything else. Other than that, it was great. They would banter with each other like usual, go on dates, fight the occasional bad guy. Raven would even surprise him on occasion by sneaking into his morning shower.

They still hadn't had sex though.

Gar still couldn't figure it out. He had been testing his theory over the past three weeks and sure enough, every time he had tried to initiate contact she had slyly turned her body, or had distracted him with something else. It had occurred to him that maybe he had been accidently hurting her the past couple of times, but he didn't think that was likely. Raven was a lot stronger than the human woman, and if she were in pain she would have told him. She'd had no problem telling him so in the past, so why would she suddenly be silent now? Still the thought was enough to make him feel so ashamed that he stopped trying to initiate it altogether.

He wanted to talk to her, but he was terrified he would say something to mess everything up. As another week passed, his planned proposal seemed to be just a forgotten memory. It was never the right time.

He was content with how things were in terms of the stage of their relationship though. It was never like he was in any rush to propose in the first place. Right now he just wanted to enjoy what he had with her, instead of rushing into the future.

That was another thing. He didn't want his proposal to seem like he was only doing it because their other friends were already married. Sure, in the past Raven had mentioned how he still seemed to cling on to the Titans, but he didn't want her to view their engagement as something he was using to prove her wrong. He wanted her to know it was because he wanted to be with her forever.

"Hey Raven," he said one morning, when they were at a breakfast joint. She wasn't one for eating before eleven, but she had come upon his request.

"Do you want blueberry or strawberry pancakes?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You know I don't eat breakfast."

"I know, but you should. Breakfast's the most important meal of the day!"

She rolled her eyes, but she reached across the table to give his hand a squeeze. "Fine. Get a bowl of blueberries on the side, and I'll eat those."

"Deal."

They placed their order, and then found themselves in a playful argument about which genre was better, action or fantasy. Gar had started to bring up a point about how he hated when his features were compared to elfin creatures when the two heard a crash outside, followed by screams. They gave each other a flat look, knowing their breakfast would have to be interrupted due to some idiot criminal who couldn't just let people enjoy their Sunday morning in peace.

As they sprinted out into the street, they had to narrowly avoid a swarm of doves as they dive-bombed the two heroes. Raven gave an unamused look to Gar as they heard high-pitched cackling in the distance. "Mumbo," she stated blandly, before flying towards the sound of the racket.

Gar followed, shifting into a cheetah so he didn't lose her. Ever since the defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil, there were rarely any big time criminals in Jump anymore, hence the lack of a stationed superhero team. That being said, petty criminals would try to pull something from time to time, the 'Amazing' Mumbo Jumbo being one of them.

The two former Titans rounded a corner and sure enough, the blue magician was there, sucking expensive goods from a boutique into his hat. Upon seeing he had company, Mumbo placed the hat on his head and performed a little spin in the air, brandishing his wand.

"Why if it isn't my lovely assistant and her green friend," Mumbo said, giving an unpleasant laugh. He narrowed his eyes at Raven. "I have to say, I prefer you as a bunny."

"I have to say, I prefer if you and your cheap magic tricks would get lost," Raven retorted, raising her hands, which rippled with black energy.

Mumbo feigned offence. "You always were my toughest critic." He pointed his wand at her and at once a chain of colorful handkerchiefs shot out in her direction. They immediately wrapped around Raven's shoulders, and she struggled for a moment before breaking free.

Gar transformed into a falcon and dove at Mumbo, his claws extended. If he timed it just right, he might just be able to pluck the instrument from the villain's clutches. Unfortunately, Mumbo had other plans. Without missing a beat the criminal tipped the opening of his hat in the green hero's direction, and a moment later a powerful gust of wind knocked him into a mailbox.

 _"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos,"_ Raven cried, using her powers to bend a lamppost around Mumbo's body. The villain struggled beneath his restraints, but as Raven approached him, he merely smirked at her before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Gar shook his head in disbelief, still on the ground recovering from Mumbo's last attack. He had to give it the blue guy; he certainly was a showman.

Raven's eyes widened as Mumbo appeared beside her in a wink, grabbing onto her cloak in time for the swarm of doves to make their reappearance. Mumbo spun her in a violent half-circle, releasing his hold on her just as the birds flew by. She was immediately scratched by hundreds of tiny white bodies, and she landed on the street with a thump.

"Raven, are you okay?" Gar asked, running to her side when his eyes caught her face bleeding.

"I'm fine," she snapped, pointing urgently in the blue magician's direction. "Mumbo's escaping."

Sure enough the magical villain was skipping in the air away from them, giggling with glee. Gar changed into a pterodactyl and rose into the sky, Raven right behind him. Within seconds they were tailing Mumbo, and if it had been any other day, Gar and Raven would have ended the battle almost instantly after that. Then again, today happened to be one of those days where they were in a funk.

Gar turned sharply to the left the same moment Raven decided to swoop in from the right and the two collided head on. They crashed onto a nearby rooftop, limbs tangled, and heads throbbing. They lay in agony for a few minutes before gathering themselves, but by the time they had, Mumbo was long gone.

Needless to say they never finished their breakfast date. When they returned to the Tower, the tension was almost palpable in the air. The atmosphere reminded Gar of how it was before a storm, when the clouds were dark and rolling and silent, right before they were about to explode with thunder and lightening.

"That was embarrassing," Raven muttered under her breath as they entered her room. "We shouldn't be letting criminals as trivial as Mumbo escape."

"Careful," Gar warned, his frustration getting the better of him, "You're starting to sound like Dick."

She shot him a glare, then placed a hand over her face to heal the cut on her cheek. He watched her, trying to control his angry breathing as she turned away from him to unclasp her dirty cloak.

"I wish you would talk to me," he admitted, his voice strained.

"I talk to you every day," she said mildly, walking over to her closet to select a fresh cloak.

"Nuh-uh! Not like we used to. You _know_ what I'm talking about," he replied, glaring daggers at the back of her head. "What's going on with you? Something's wrong."

She placed her new cloak over her shoulders. Even after she was done dressing herself, she kept her back to him. She couldn't even look at him. "Everything's fine-"

"No it's not!" he exclaimed, resisting the urge to march over to her and turn her, so she could look him in the eye. "You disappear without saying anything, we haven't had sex in weeks, you don't tell me things, everything's not fine!"

"I have my reasons," she responded calmly, her back straight as a wall. "Things are different now."

"The only thing that's different is that you don't trust me anymore," Gar spat, his face twisted in pain, but she couldn't even see it with her back turned.

"That's not true," she whispered.

"It is!"

"It's not," she said sharply, her shoulders hunched. "Every since I defeated Trigon, everything has been different. My _powers_ have been different. My demonic side, the side I was told would consume me, is no longer the threat that it was." She took a deep breath. "Growing up, all my life I was told my destiny would be to end the world. That my father's will, the demon inside my mind, would destroy the human part of me. But they were wrong. I defeated Trigon. Ever since that day I've been able to control my demonic side."

She finally turned around so Gar could see her, and when he did, he saw that her face was twisted in just as much pain, but there was something else there too, something familiar. Guilt.

"Don't you see Garfield?" she said softly. "Arella could never have known I would defeat Trigon. She could never have known that my human side would survive under my demonic side."

Gar stood stone still. "What are you saying?"

Raven watched him, even as tears of misery pooled in her eyes. "I'm pregnant."

Gar felt numb, her words ringing hollowly in his ears, yet at the same time, everything made sense. The guilt he had seen from her over the past couple of weeks. At the time he thought maybe his comment about them having kids had made her upset at the fact that she thought she couldn't. Watching her now, however, he realized he had had it all wrong. His comment had only planted the possibility in her mind, and now she knew it was possible, and it had happened. Sex would have only been a reminder, because in her eyes, she had let him down.

The thing he had been most wrong about though was her desire for children. Seeing the dread seep into every inch of her face confirmed she had never wanted them in the first place. And now she didn't even have a choice.

He must have been silent for a long time because she swallowed before saying "I'm sorry."

He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it again. He honestly didn't know how to feel. He knew he was supposed to feel happy-he did eventually want to be a dad after all-but he wasn't at all ready. Not only that, but how was he supposed to feel overjoyed when the woman beside him was so horrified and miserable at the thought of children? He was confused, but most of all, he was scared.

"How long have you known?" he heard himself ask weakly.

She swallowed again, the tears seeping back into her eyes. "Since the day we returned from Tamaran."

Gar nodded. So she had known for a little over three weeks. The last time they had had sex was a few days before journeying to Tamaran. That meant at the earliest she could be close to four weeks pregnant, but it was most likely more.

"I should have told you sooner," she said softly, staring at the ground. "But I knew it would change everything."

Gar felt something hammer against him, and he realized it was his heart. Moving forwards, he encircled his arms around her, feeling her own arms wrap limply around his waist.

"This changes nothing," he murmured, and he felt the tiniest bit of tension leave her shoulders.

~0~0~0~

When he held her that night, he tried to comprehend everything she must have been feeling in the past couple of weeks. Guilt was certainly a huge factor in why she had tried to avoid him at first. Gar made it a point to tell her that in by no means was anything her fault. He told her that even though he wasn't a scientist, he was pretty sure it took, like, _two_ people 'doing it' to make a baby. She had chuckled at that.

Even though the atmosphere had lightened significantly, Gar could tell Raven was still deeply troubled. Anyone who was expecting a baby and didn't want one would have been.

"What are you so afraid of, Rae?" he asked her, running a hand up her arm.

She sighed. "Many things. We're too young. We don't know how to raise a child. I'm not good with children; they're too messy and smelly."

"Yeah we're young, but we can still be good parents," he argued. "We have awesome friends, some who already have children that can give us tons of nifty pointers. And you _are_ good with kids, Rae. What about Melvin, Timmy, and Teether?"

"They're different," Raven replied. "Besides I wasn't finished complaining."

Gar smiled. "My bad. Keep going."

"It was already unlikely for us to have children due to the complexity of our genes, but who knows what kinds of powers they'll have. What kinds of lives they'll be forced to lead."

"That's easy. They'll be like, um, half human and then, like, a quarter demon and then another quarter…green?"

Gar could feel Raven shake her head in amusement from where she lay next to him. "I don't think that's how it works, Gar."

"Heh, yeah, probably right."

"Yup."

"I still think you're being too hard on yourself," Gar continued. "You could be a great mom, and besides, you're, like, super into control and stuff, at least when it comes to your powers. You could totally show them the ropes."

She sighed after a minute. "How can you be so optimistic all the time? Aren't you scared?"

"I'm kind of freaking out," he admitted, "but it's better when you have someone there with you." His arms tightened around her. They lapsed into silence for a bit. Then a thought entered his mind. He was surprised he hadn't though of it earlier, but what with the earthshattering news and all… "Hey, Rae?"

"Hm?"

"Does it…bother you that we aren't married?"

She didn't say anything for a few moments. "No. Should it?"

Gar cleared his throat uncomfortably. He definitely didn't want to pop the question now. He didn't want her to think he was doing it just because she was pregnant. He couldn't lie though; he had hoped she would say she wanted to get married. It would certainly make asking her a Hell of a lot less nerve racking.

He shrugged. "Nah. I was just curious."

She sat up suddenly, turning to him. She scrutinized him, and Gar did his best to keep his poker face. He could feel his back starting to sweat though. _Oh please, please, please don't let her be on to me._

After a few agonizing seconds passed Raven's face relaxed, and she leaned back into his embrace. She was quiet for such a long time, that Gar had assumed she had fallen asleep. So when she spoke again several minutes later, he jolted.

"Would you like to know the sex?" she asked uncertainly.

Gar thought about this. A couple of hours ago he didn't even know she was pregnant, and now she was asking him if he would like to know if he was going to have a boy or a girl by the time he turned twenty-two. Taking a deep breath, he came to his decision.

"I think I want it to be a surprise."

He felt her nod under him. "That's probably for the best."

Gar didn't know what she meant by that comment, but he let it go. He knew Raven still had her apprehensions about being a mother-Hell, he felt the same, how could he not at such a young age-but he also knew there was a way that might make her feel better about the whole thing. At the very least, it could prove to her she had some motherly instincts in her. Scrunching up his mouth in thought, he pondered how difficult it would be to get in contact with an eleven year old, a nine year old, a six year old, and a giant invisible bear.

The next morning Gar rose to find Raven was gone from the bed. He reached his hand out to feel the mattress beside him, and he frowned when he noticed it was cold. She had been up for quite some time. Changing into his uniform for the day, he exited her room and immediately his hypersensitive nose caught the scent of burning food. He was confused for a moment before a smile of realization adorned his face. Raven was making breakfast for him.

He wasn't at all surprised when he entered ops a few moments later to find her covered in pancake batter, muttering angrily to herself as ten different ingredients hovered in black energy over her. About three pancakes were on the stove, and that was meant to be taken literally, for there was not a pan in sight. Not only that, but the dials had been cranked to their highest setting, effectively igniting one of the doughy blobs. Raven, noticing the impending disaster, ran to the sink, using her powers to dump water onto the small fire. Gar figured this was the perfect time to make himself known.

"Aw, you did all this for me?" he questioned lightly, his face glowing with laughter when he saw her frazzled expression.

"Breakfast is ready," she mumbled, placing a plate of decrepit pancakes on the kitchen counter for him. Gar, not wanting to hurt her feelings but _really_ not wanting to eat her food, took a small bite and then slyly slid the rest in the trash.

"Yum! That sure was delicious, Raven," he said, patting his tummy for effect. Raven rolled her eyes, not buying the act. "What's the occasion?" he inquired.

The empathy sighed, rubbing her hands free of batter. "Think of it as my way of apologizing."

Gar frowned. "I thought I already said-"

"Not for the baby," Raven clarified, "but for my treatment of it. It was wrong to keep you in the dark. Sometimes old habits die hard, but that's not an excuse." She gave him a timid smile. "I'm hoping we can move forward from here."

"Okay," Gar said blinking. He certainly hadn't been expecting this when he woke up.

Raven glanced out the window. "I took down Mumbo earlier this morning. It wasn't hard, I got him while his back was turned." She smirked. "Some would say that would be playing dirty, but I call it getting even."

"Mmm, she cooks _and_ takes down baddies," Gar said, while waggling his eyebrows. He moved over to trap her against the counter. "I'll bet she's great in the bedroom." He let out an exaggerated growl, and she whacked him as a result.

Moving past him, she headed in the direction of the hallway. She paused before she left, looking over her shoulder. "I'm going to clean off this disgusting batter, but I'd like you to meet me in your room in twenty minutes." Gar had no idea what she was up to, but before he could ask a question, she had already left.

Gar plopped onto the sofa, deciding to play a round of _Mega Monkeys_ while he waited for her to finish her shower. After he had gotten his fill, he leafed around in the ops computer's old contact files, seeing if he could locate Melvin's contact. Sure enough, her number was still there, and he was relieved that it wasn't harder to find. He wasn't exactly a tech wizard after all.

Nonetheless, he sent the girl a quick message, inquiring about her team's availability this week. If he were lucky, maybe he and Raven could get the kids for a day.

He leaned back against the couch, wondering what Raven could possibly want to do in his bedroom of all places. His heart pounded as he realized something. The engagement ring was in there, and he wasn't a hundred percent positive he had closed his drawer all the way.

Racing down the hallway, chanting, "Please no, please no, please no," he burst into his room where he noticed a couple of things.

First the drawer _was_ in fact, shut all the way, so he could cross that off his list, but that was the _farthest_ thing from his mind at the moment. This was because of the second thing he noticed. And that was Raven sitting on his bottom bunk, her hands leaning back to support her weight as she stared back at him, completely naked.

Except for the boots.

All the blood rushed from his head in that moment. "You're trying to kill me, Mama," he muttered, as he climbed over her without a moment to waste.

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _Yay! The angst is over! These couple of chapters weren't my favorite to write because I don't like when couples fight in stories, but I felt in this case the reality and gravity of the situation was something that needed to be portrayed. Now on to more fun things! Next chapter: An unexpected babysitting visit from Raven's favorite kids! Something tells me it's just the push Raven needs to remind her that she can do this._


	10. Babysitting

Gar tried to slide out of bed when Raven was still asleep, but that proved difficult when sharing a twin-sized bed. They had never actually made it back to her room yesterday, choosing instead to stay right where they were to catch up on the lovemaking they had missed the past month.

As Gar tried to maneuver his way over Raven, she moved her head sleepily back and forth, muttering his name. He kissed her once, twice, and then she became unresponsive again, descending back into slumber.

Deciding that remaining in his human form was too risky; Gar shifted into a mouse and scurried out of his room instead. Once he was a safe distance away, he returned to his normal shape, jogging into ops and checking to see if Melvin had sent him a response.

Thankfully Azar-or whoever the Hell was out there-was looking out for him. Melvin not only had responded, but she had told him they were upstate on a special mission and that she, Timmy and Teether would love to visit the Tower. They just needed someone to pick them up.

He could do that. He could totally do that. Checking their location, however, Gar realized it would be about a two-hour flight in his falcon form, and once he got there he would have no way of bringing the kids back with him. Sighing, he realized he would have to take his T-Ship pod to northern California if he wanted to get back before Raven woke up. Looks like he was in for a crowded ride on the return trip.

Discovering this meant he had a time limit, Gar sprinted to the Tower's garage and began firing up his pod. He hated flying the thing alone. It was downright stressful. At least when they were going to Tamaran he had Raven along with him to double check all the techno babble stuff. As he pressed a few buttons, the pod roared to life, and then Gar was off. He let out a relieved puff of breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. He could handle this. It was just upstate after all.

Besides, he would travel to the ends of the galaxy if it meant making Raven feel better.

The scenery around him passed by in a blur, so he couldn't even really enjoy the journey that much. He supposed it was the price he had to pay for speed.

He landed in a forest clearing about a half an hour later. It would have been only a few minutes if he had shifted the pod into space mode, but he had done that once before a couple years ago and it didn't work out so well for him. Cyborg had ranted and lectured about 'delicate machinery' and a bunch of other terms Gar didn't understand. Even if the cybernetic hero wasn't there to reprimand him, it still felt wrong to go against his friend's wishes.

Gar frowned, glancing around the clearing. This was the location Melvin had given him, yet there was no one around. That was, until a giant metal robot came smashing into the clearing. Gar screamed in alarm, diving out of the way before the thing could smash him. He almost had a heart attack when one of its giant feet nearly crushed the T-Ship pod. If he wanted to get back with the kids, he would have to take this machine out and fast.

Turning into a brontosaurus, Gar turned his body around and whacked the massive contraption with his tail. The robot went flying backwards into a large tree, but rose seconds later without a scratch. Gar shifted into a T-Rex preparing to charge again, when a powerful sonic blast sounded, knocking the robot to the side of the clearing and into the dirt.

Gar returned to his human form, watching in wonder as Melvin and her team charged. The kids were a couple years older from when he had last seen them, but they were still much younger than Gar had been when he had first joined the Titans. He had to admit though, for little kids they sure had a system going.

As Timmy Tantrum knocked the robot off its feet again with another scream, Melvin ordered Bobby to charge with Teether in his arms. The massive bear ran straight for the robot, hurling the six year old at the machine's head. Gar watched in bewilderment as Teether latched onto the robot and bit down on the side of its head, tearing the metal that held it together in two. Once the metal siding had toppled to the ground, Bobby boosted Melvin up onto the shoulders of the robot. The blonde girl reached her hand inside, fishing for a key piece. When she located it, her eyes lit up in excitement. She pulled with all her might and the robot's control chip sprung free.

The android gave one final jerk to the side before it lost power completely. The force of its final movement was enough to knock both Melvin and Teether off its shoulders, but Gar was there to bring the kids safely to the ground in his pterodactyl form. As Timmy and Bobby approached, Melvin and Teether looked up at Gar in wonder.

"Beast Boy!" Melvin cried, giving him a big hug. "You found us!" Teether also merged into the hug and soon Timmy and even Bobby joined in on the action.

Gar laughed as the giant bear released him along with the children. He glanced down at Melvin, for once finding he didn't feel the need to inform someone of his new alias. "It's good to see you guys again. You've gotten so big!"

"I went through the biggest growth spurt ever!" Teether yelled, standing on his tiptoes.

"Nuh-uh, I did!" Timmy insisted, jumping up and down. Bobby seemed to enjoy the motion of Timmy's jumping, for he too bounced with the young boy, causing the ground to shake in the process.

"You _both_ grew so much!" Gar said, surveying the boys with his hands on his hips. "Bet you're gonna be taller than me soon!"

"Where's Raven?" Melvin asked, looking around for the empath.

Gar leaned down so he was eyelevel with the kids. "Here's the thing. Raven's back at the Tower, but she doesn't know I went to get you guys. You gotta be real good, so we can surprise her."

"Surprise! Surprise! I love surprises!" Teether announced.

"I like them more!" Timmy argued.

"How's Bobby gonna get to the Tower?" Melvin asked, and Gar blanched.

Huh. He had never actually thought about that. Well this sure was going to be interesting.

~0~0~0~

The three kids ended up riding inside the pod with Gar while Bobby hung from the outside in his invisible state. To anyone else watching the scene, they would have assumed the pod was in desperate need of repair, for it dipped dramatically at one end and travelled about as slow as an old beat up station wagon. Gar tried to steer with the utmost care, although that proved to be challenging with three bouncing children squeezed in next to him.

 _We are gonna be so late. Raven's gonna kill me,_ he thought, trying not to break out in a sweat. He had taken his old communicator with him just in case, and it had rung about six times within the last hour.

Finally, after what seemed like eons, the pod made a clumsy landing into the Tower's garage, and its occupants exited immediately. Bobby became visible again and went to stand by Melvin, taking his keeper's hand.

"Alright," Gar said in a hushed voice as he led the trio of children and Bobby into the hallway, "we gotta be really quiet so Raven doesn't know that-"

Raven phased into the hallway half a second later, and Gar concluded she must have heard the garage door close. He let out of shriek of terror, and hid behind Melvin. Anything Raven would have said was lost as she looked from kid to kid in disbelief. Her mouth quirked up into one of her rare, big smiles, and she knelt down to give her kids a hug. They ran into her arms immediately, simultaneously shouting, "Raven!"

Once the hug was finished, Bobby stomped forwards and wrapped Raven up in his own bear hug-pun intended-until the empath had to tap out to breathe.

"I missed you kids," she admitted, surveying them all. She shot a small smile at Gar who had stood off to the side so as not to interrupt their reunion.

"We missed you too, Raven!" Melvin told her. "We made sure to tell Teether stories about you so he remembered you."

"And how you saved us from the monkey man!" Timmy added.

"Monkey man, monkey man!" Teether cried, bouncing up and down.

"Why don't we all go to ops so we can get some lunch," Gar suggested. "I'm starving!" Bobby nodded in agreement.

The two younger boys started chanting 'lunch,' as they followed Raven and Melvin down the hallway. When the children and Bobby entered ops, Gar made to enter as well, but Raven held him back.

"I know why you're doing this," she stated.

Gar looked at her innocently. "Um, because I'm super nice?"

"You're trying to cheer me up," she told him, and he relaxed. So she didn't suspect anything more.

"Is it working?" he inquired, giving her a hopeful glance.

Raven's lips twitched, but she concealed it well. "We'll see," she answered, before entering ops. Gar followed her inside, a smug expression on his face.

Walking over to the ops monitor, Gar noticed he and Raven had received a couple missed video chat calls. He must have accidently set the messaging system to 'do not disturb' when he was responding to Melvin earlier that morning. He decided he would check and see who the calls were from later. Today was about Raven and the kids.

After lunch the five of them journeyed to the Jump City boardwalk where the young heroes-plus Gar-could play various games. Melvin walked with her hand out, seemingly holding thin air, but Gar and Raven knew this was the only way for Bobby to join them without startling civilians.

Gar played a few boardwalk games with the kids, while Raven and Bobby watched from the background. During a ring toss game, Teether came over to Raven and tugged on her cloak, handing her a small ring. She looked at the object skeptically, but after an encouraging glance from Gar, she tossed it towards the target, seeming a little pleased with herself when it landed on the cone.

Afterwards they bought the children ice creams, and Gar watched with amusement as Raven carried over a tower of napkins. "Are we really gonna need that much?" he asked her doubtfully, but she just responded with a look that said, "Trust me."

Gar decided Raven was on to something, for ten minutes later she had gone through all of them. Most of napkins had been used to wash the chocolate dessert from Timmy's face. The boy was certainly old enough to wipe his own face, but Gar had to admit it was kind of endearing watching Raven fret over him.

The only bit of trouble they ran into was when Timmy and Teether raced each other along the boardwalk. Timmy had the significant advantage, being three years older than Teether, so he naturally won every time. Teether returned to Raven and Gar with tears in his eyes. Gar, figuring Raven wouldn't want to deal with the crying youngster, began to bend down beside the boy, but Raven was quicker.

"T-Timmy b-b-beat m-me," Teether stammered, tears leaking down his face.

"I know," Raven told him, "but you shouldn't be too upset about it. Timmy probably could have beaten me too, but I'm good at other things. Just like you are." She paused. "Who else can chew through a cable line?" she asked him.

Teether perked up a bit, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "No one but me," he responded.

Raven nodded. "Right."

As Teether ran ahead to join Melvin and Timmy, Gar stared at his girlfriend in wonder. This was a side of Raven he had rarely seen, and he wished he had had more of an opportunity to notice it when the Titans were together.

"What?" she asked him, sensing his eyes were on her.

He just shook his head. "Nothing. You're just so amazing." He felt a twinge of satisfaction when he noticed her cheeks turning red.

The kids ended up leading the former Titans to the beach where they began skipping stones, or in Timmy and Teether's cases, seeing who could toss the biggest rock into the bay.

"Bobby's really good at skipping rocks," Melvin told Gar matter of factly.

"Better than me? I'm the champ," Gar informed her, picking up a rock and skipping it across the ocean water a total of four times. He beamed at her. "Let's see if he can beat _that_."

A large flat stone rose into the air and surged forwards, gliding over the water. When it made contact it bounced, once, twice, _seven_ times. Gar's mouth dropped as Melvin looked up at the older, green hero innocently.

"Touché Bobby," Gar muttered. He glanced over at Raven who was watching them all from a boulder. He saw her cover her mouth with her hand as she concealed a chuckle.

Eventually the three children, who absolutely insisted she join them in the game of throwing rocks, disrupted her peaceful observations. She relented-Gar found she could rarely say no to them-and picked up a rock she found lying in the sand. Using her powers she skipped the rock _eight_ times along the surface of the water.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Timmy yelled, but his eyes shown with laughter.

"Cheating, cheating!" Teether repeated, bouncing along the sand.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Raven said, but she gave Melvin a wink.

"I saw that!"

"Saw that! Saw that!"

Gar laughed so hard he had to grip his sides.

When the sun began to set, Gar realized it was probably time to take the kids and Bobby home. Melvin informed them that they were to be returned upstate, since they still had 'some business' to attend to there. Gar had offered to fly them home via T-Ship pod, but Raven decided it was more practical to just teleport them back.

"I can just rest afterwards. It's not as though we'll be doing anything I'll need energy for," she reminded him.

"I don't know about that," he murmured in her ear, and she whacked him.

After Gar had given the kids, and Bobby, a big hug, Raven teleported them upstate. When she returned, Gar could tell she was weary from using her powers, so he helped her to the sofa, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you for bringing them," she murmured.

"You're welcome," he responded softly, running his hand down her side. He hesitated, before his palm drifted over her stomach, still flat.

"I still think it's different with them," she said softly.

His fingers ghosted over her belly. "Maybe, but it could be different with your own too."

"Do you really think we can do this?" she inquired, squeezing his hand tightly.

"I have no freaking idea," he answered honestly, "but we've done the impossible before."

"Now _you're_ starting to sound like Dick," she teased.

Gar shuddered. "Great."

As they lapsed into silence, Gar couldn't help but think if he should propose or not. He wanted it to be special, but he wasn't sure how genuine it would seem to her so soon after her pregnancy reveal. He wanted her to know he was committed, but if he wanted it to be special for her, it appeared as though he would have to wait a little longer.

"The night's still young ya know," he said, getting up. "Maybe I can make us dinner? Got any weird cravings?"

"Not really."

"Hey," Gar said, lighting up, "maybe soon you'll be begging for tofu."

Raven shifted her body so she sat upright. "I think that's highly unlikely."

"You never know," Gar sang, making his way over to the kitchen. He caught her rolling her eyes. Halfway through his dinner preparation he saw her get up, complaining about sticky hands from the children's ice creams, and moved into the hallway. Gar assumed she would be taking her second shower of the day. He didn't blame her; his uniform was pretty grubby as well. He would have to take a shower soon too.

He moved their dinner off the burner as an evil smile took over his face. Morphing into a sparrow, he zipped down the hallways until he was outside the girls' bathroom. Sure enough the shower was running. Gar changed into a beetle this time, crawling under the bathroom door. Once inside he glanced up, realizing the bathroom was flooded with steam. Raven's back was to him, and she was washing her face and chest.

"I know you're there," she said blandly, and he nearly had a heart attack.

"You're no fun," he grumbled, once he had returned to his human state.

She glanced over her shoulder, giving him an unamused look. "Is dinner ready?"

"I put it on hold just for you," he responded, waggling his eyebrows.

"Lucky me," she deadpanned. She returned to her washing, seemingly content with ignoring him. After a bit she turned her head to gaze at him over her shoulder. "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to join me?"

"Oh! Right." Gar undressed himself in three seconds flat before climbing into the shower with her. She stepped aside to let him use the water while she took a seat on the small rest on the shower wall. He noticed her staring at him as he wet his hair, so he made a show of flexing his muscles. She shook her head at his antics, the movement causing hundreds of tiny water droplets to run down her shoulders.

"Would you like to tell the others?" she asked suddenly.

Gar blinked. "About the baby?"

"Obviously."

Gar sat down in the shower, the water pounding against his back. He took her hand. "I'll do whatever you wanna do, Rae-Rae."

"Why?" her voice came out choked. "Why do you always try so hard to please me?"

"Because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he said, shrugging. " _Obviously."_

Raven stood up quickly, tugging him up with her powers. He let out a yelp of surprise, but then her mouth quickly covered his. He kissed her back, fiercely. He put everything he had into that kiss.

"What is we hurt the baby?" he panted as she levitated over him.

"That's not how it works, Gar," she said between kisses. She pulled back. "Honestly, we need to sign you up for some biology classes."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, latching his mouth onto hers again.

~0~0~0~

After they had redressed, Gar finished making dinner and the two sat across from each other at the kitchen table. They talked about mundane things, but Gar didn't mind. He loved watching her. He marveled at how delicate yet strong she was. He admired how her hand subconsciously traced over her stomach, as if she were checking on the baby.

When they had finished dinner, Gar got up to collect their plates. He began washing them in the kitchen sink as Raven sat on the sofa. It was quiet except for the sounds of the gentle water swishing around on the dirty plates.

"Garfield," Raven said, getting up from the couch and walking over to the ops monitor. "What are all these messages?"

"Oh," Gar responded absently. "I saw those earlier. I was gonna check on them but I figured they could wait." He laughed. "It's funny, I guess I must be really bad at picking up calls today. First with you, and now with whoever else was calling."

"Me? What are you talking about?" she inquired.

"You called me like ten times this morning when I was picking up the kids," he reminded her. "I didn't answer 'cuz I wanted it to be a surprise and all."

Raven furrowed her eyebrows. "I didn't call you this morning. My communicator is in the back drawer of my bureau, and I spent the night in your room."

Gar froze, uneasiness suddenly spreading over him. He left the dishes by the sink and joined Raven in front of the ops monitor. Together they opened the missed video chat files and saw that there were now nine missed calls from Starfire. Gar and Raven exchanged an anxious glance before hitting the 'call back' button.

Starfire answered on the first ring. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were red from crying. As soon as she realized who had called she let out a sob.

"Starfire, what's wrong?" Raven questioned, her voice tense.

"Oh Friends, I have been trying to call you. I t-thought p-perhaps they had gotten to y-you as well! It d-does not make sense for this to be so, but I was feeling the horrible f-feelings for your safety!" Fresh batches of tears streamed down her face.

Gar's heart caught in his throat. "What are you talking about Star?"

"Babs has been shot," she sobbed. "And Tim is missing."

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _That's right. I'm going there. For those of you who are familiar with "The Killing Joke" or "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" you may know what's going to happen next. With my own twist of course._


	11. Beast Boy

"We should teleport there," Raven said as the two of them hurriedly packed their items into small backpacks.

"Are you crazy? No freaking way! You already teleported enough today, and I don't want you or the baby getting hurt."

"We'll be fine, Gar. I know what I'm doing. Babs and Tim are in trouble," she insisted.

Gar gripped her arms. "Babs is in the hospital and Commissioner Gordon and her fiancé are with her. No one's coming back to attack her. Tim may be missing, but us getting to Gotham an hour or so later than we would have is not gonna help find him." His eyes burned into hers. "We need to calm down and think about this, Rae."

Raven blinked at him, then relaxed in his arms. "Since when did you become the voice of reason?"

Gar smiled weakly. "I guess you're rubbing off on me."

Raven sighed. "We'll take the pods then. I'll have to call Dick and make sure we land them in a location that won't attract suspicion."

Gar nodded then began to return to his hurried packing. "Good idea." He shoved a couple of uniforms into his backpack. "Everything will be okay," he said out loud. "Everything will be okay."

Everything was certainly _not_ okay at the moment though. Apparently that morning while Commissioner Gordon was visiting his daughter in her apartment, Babs had been shot in the hip. Immediately after the shooting, he had called an ambulance, as well as Batman. _He shot her,_ Gordon had said, his voice racked with sobs, _He was here. He shot my Babs._

The Joker.

Back when Gar was starting out as a hero, he had foolishly thought it would have been cool to go toe to toe with the Joker. Now that he was older, he knew better. There were some fucked up people out there, people you didn't mess with, and the Joker was one of them.

As soon as Batman had heard the news, he tried to call in Robin, who was out on patrol. The boy was usually quick to respond, and with a message so urgent, he would have answered in a heartbeat. But there had only been silence.

It seemed as though the Joker was targeting those closest to Batman. He, of course, didn't know that Batgirl was really Barbara, but by shooting the Commissioner's daughter, he had unknowingly killed two birds with one stone. The thought that Tim could be out there somewhere, captured or worse, made Gar feel sick.

Within the hour Batman had called Nightwing; the hero was only a few cities over after all. He and Starfire had arrived in Gotham as soon as they were able to, once they had dropped Mar'i off with Bumblebee and Herald in Steel City.

From what Starfire had told them, Babs had been in terrible pain from her gunshot wound for hours, instead of going into shock. She was currently secured in a special hospital wing, and she was stable. The prognosis from the doctors wasn't looking good though. Some were even saying it might be impossible for her to walk again.

 _Raven can heal her,_ Gar thought, but it was more wishful thinking than anything else.

Only Dick and Bruce were allowed to visit Babs as civilians, for if anyone else had it would have led to questions. Starfire told them that according to Dick, Babs was trying to get released as soon as possible so she could aid in the search for Tim. Commissioner Gordon didn't understand her haste in the slightest, for he also didn't know his daughter's alter ego. That being said, the Commissioner had promised his forces would scan the area until Robin was found. That, unfortunately, was also wishful thinking, for the Gotham Police Department was no match for the Joker.

"Ready?" Raven asked Gar, as she shut the door to her pod.

"Ready," he responded, gripping the controls.

"Then let's go."

The two pods broke off from the main T-Ship, and after the engines started up with a thunderous noise, the machines jetted out of the Tower's garage, on a course set for Gotham City. Both Gar and Raven were dead silent for the journey, both too caught up in their own stressful thoughts. Several hours later the pods landed in a sheltered area outside of Gotham. Gar and Raven climbed out of their seats as soon as they were on solid ground.

"Are you sure no one will find them here?" Gar asked.

Raven shook her head. "No, but what other option do we have? Besides, Dick was the one who said we should land here."

"Heh. Good point."

Both heroes whipped around as they heard a twig snap behind them. Gar tensed, preparing to shift, while Raven's eye glowed white. After several tense moments, Nightwing emerged, regarding them both with serious looks.

"We're glad you're here," he said in a deadened manner that alarmed Gar. "Follow me."

~0~0~0~

Never in a million years did Gar think he would ever enter the Batcave. Of course, the circumstances for him being there certainly weren't worth the opportunity, but even so, he was amazed by his surroundings. Everything Gar had ever read or heard about was there. The Batmobile, the gadgets, the operating systems, the actual _bats;_ it was certainly a sight to behold.

Gar winced as Raven nudged him harshly in the side, and he remembered himself. The five original Titans were all there, along with Alfred and Batman. The latter was currently briefing them on everything he knew in a rather gruff manner. With the restraint Batman showed, Gar guessed he had only called for Nightwing's help and hadn't expected the rest of them to get roped in too. Well, too bad. Gar wasn't afraid to admit he was extremely intimidated by the older hero, but if he had to stand up to the man he would. Tim and Babs were family, and nobody messed with family.

"I've arranged a deal with the hospital for Barbara's release early tomorrow," Batman stated. "She'll arrive straight here to aid with the search."

"Raven should get a chance to heal her," Nightwing interjected. "If anyone can help Babs, it's Raven."

Batman gave Raven a curt nod. "Fine." He stood up. "I understand all of you came here per Dick's request. Your dedication is remarkable, but I can't ask you to lay your lives on the line for my family."

"I hate to interrupt the noble speech and all," Cyborg said, also standing up, "but Dick became our family a long time ago."

"Please Bruce," Starfire said, crossing her hands, "you must understand we are just as worried about Tim. I plead with you, allow us to assist you in your search."

"We aren't going home until we find Tim," Nightwing added strongly, his face hard.

"Agreed," Raven spoke, nodding her head.

"What they said," Gar mentioned.

Batman gazed at all of them individually for one long moment before he narrowed his eyes beneath his mask. "Very well." He turned his back to them. "Now if you'll excuse me, we've wasted enough time talking. I need to find my son."

"Master Bruce," Alfred interjected, "If I may, you have been searching tirelessly for hours. Perhaps it is wise for you to get some well-needed rest before Miss Barbara's arrival tomorrow morning? Let Master Dick and his friends search for now."

"He's my _son_ , Alfred," Batman argued.

"And he's _my_ brother," Nightwing reminded him. "Do you think I won't take looking for him as seriously? Don't do this to yourself Bruce. I've been there. Trust me." Gar noticed he was squeezing Starfire's hand, a sure sign that he was remembering darker days. "We can handle it."

Batman was silent for a long time, and then his shoulders sagged the tiniest bit, and Gar could see a glimmer of the broken man beneath. He didn't respond to Dick's comment, but instead turned to his butler and lifelong friend. "Alfred, please wake me as soon as Barbara is released." A very small smile appeared on Nightwing's lips.

Alfred nodded, relief coating the elderly man's features. "Of course, Master Bruce."

As soon as the two left, Nightwing turned to his former teammates. He began mapping out different sectors that each of them could check. He insisted they cover as much ground as possible. They could have narrowed their search down, but then again, no one knew for certain if the Joker was also behind Robin's disappearance in addition to Batgirl's shooting. If they wanted the best chance of finding him, they had to spread out all over the city,

"I think it's best if we pair off," Nightwing said, his hands balled into fists. "The process will be slower, but none of you have any experience fighting in Gotham. You'll find it's…different here." The frown on his face deepened. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt. Cyborg, Starfire, you take the southern part of the city. Beast… _Changeling_ and Raven, you take the North."

Gar cleared his throat. "Actually, it might just be easier to call me Beast Boy. This is way too important to be confused by codenames." He caught Raven giving him a strange smile, and he gave her a warm look in return.

Nightwing nodded. "Alright then."

Cyborg let out a puff of air. "Dang, that's a relief. You've always been BB to me. I could never get the hang of that other name."

Beast Boy grinned sheepishly.

"I'll start covering the East," Nightwing continued. "Raven, I want you back here within the next six hours. Babs will have been released by then, and you can take a look at her condition." Raven nodded. "We'll report to each other via communicator," Nightwing added. He gazed around at all of his friends. "I can't tell you how much it means to me that you're all here," he said, the wavering emotion just barely noticeable in his voice.

"We shall always be here for you Dick," Starfire told him lovingly.

"Yeah, Dude."

"Always."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Man."

Nightwing gave a sad smile. "Well, I can't believe I'm saying this again but…Titans, go!"

~0~0~0~

As he flew alongside Raven in his falcon form, Gar, or _Beast Boy_ rather, kept the corner of his eye trained on his girlfriend. Although they had agreed to keep her pregnancy to themselves for the time being-at least until _they_ had gotten used to it-Beast Boy wished they had told Nightwing. He was sure their former leader would have been less likely to push Raven so hard if he knew she was with child. That being said, Beast Boy knew each of the former Titans could refuse Nightwing's orders if they wished to, but he assumed that, like Raven, going with their former leader's plan was second nature.

Beast Boy knew Raven could take care of herself, but that didn't mean he couldn't worry. It was strange, feeling responsible for someone who wasn't even technically alive yet. He discovered Raven could probably sense how stressed out he was, for she created a black disk for him as she levitated, inviting him to transform back so he could talk to her.

"How are you doing?" he asked, as soon as he could speak again. "Do you feel okay?"

"Other than the sick feeling I have from Tim's disappearance I'm fine," she responded blandly.

Beast Boy scratched his head. "Well…yeah."

Raven sighed. "I know you think I'm more vulnerable because of the baby, but you have to remember I'm only half-human."

"I know you can handle yourself and all that," Beast Boy assured her, "it's just that, I mean, we're in _Gotham_ , Rae. I've heard this place gets fucked."

He noticed how her lip curled at his vulgar language. "Yes. I know."

The two continued to search for a couple more hours before they received a call from Nightwing. Babs had arrived at Wayne Manor. She had requested she speak to all of them, so everyone was to report back at once. Beast Boy couldn't help but feel relieved. Although he hated the idea of putting the search for Robin on hold, he wanted to get a chance to see Babs, since none of them could at the hospital.

In only a matter of minutes, Beast Boy and Raven found themselves navigating one of the luxurious hallways of the mansion, trying not to get lost on the way to Babs' temporary bedchamber. Eventually they found the room, and they opened the door to find her lying in a hospital bed facing the door. The others were already there, including Bruce and Alfred. Although Beast Boy's primary focus was Babs, he couldn't help but notice that he had never seen Bruce in person without his mask. It was a little unnerving.

Babs looked about as well as one could expect given the circumstances. Her hair was a tangled mess and she was very pale, a sheen of light sweat shown on her forehead. Her lips were dry and her eyes were bloodshot. An IV was stuck in her wrist. Her legs were covered beneath a hospital sheet.

When Raven and Beast Boy entered, she glanced up, her dry lips forming into a smile. "Well if it isn't my new doctor," she said, nodding at Raven. "So, how do I look?"

Raven didn't respond at first, and Beast Boy started to turn to her questioningly, when she promptly threw up, covering the floor in vomit. Starfire and Alfred gasped while everyone else watched her in worried confusion. Beast Boy placed a hand on her shoulder, his anxiety spiking.

"That bad, huh?" Babs mumbled half-teasingly, although her eyes were also wide with concern.

"No, it's not you," Raven wheezed, wincing at the mess she had made. "I haven't been feeling well." She glanced apologetically at Alfred and Bruce. "I apologize for the mess."

"Do not be sorry, Miss Raven. Your health is the number one priority," Alfred told her, but he rushed out of the room to get supplies for the sick on the floor.

"Do you think you're in any state to heal her?" Nightwing asked Raven, his eyes furrowed in apprehension.

Raven waved him off. "I'm fine, really. It was something I ate." She made her way over to Babs, lifting her hands and settling them over her hips until they glowed a light blue.

It was silent for several moments, save for the sound of Alfred returning and quietly cleaning up Raven's sick. Just when Beast Boy thought he could no longer take the tense atmosphere, Bruce shattered the silence.

"Well?" he inquired, his voice stiff.

The light blue faded from Raven's hands, and she dropped them by her sides. "I'm sorry," she said softly, for the second time that night. "I don't think there is much I can do."

Starfire let out a sob and Nightwing gritted his teeth. Cyborg shook his head sadly and Alfred's shoulders shook. Bruce's face didn't move a muscle, but Beast Boy could see the horror in his eyes. The changeling was sure his expression mirrored that horror.

Ironically, Babs seemed to be the one handling it the best. Her eyes were damp of course, but her expression wasn't filled with terror like the rest of them. "Anything you can do to get me into a wheelchair faster?" she asked Raven, and then when she noticed everyone's shocked expressions, became indignant. "What? Tim's still missing. I can have my own pity party later."

Raven gave her a soft smile. "I can take away some of the pain." She paused, glancing out the window as the morning sunrays came into the room. "If I work for the next couple of hours, you might be ready to be transferred to a wheelchair tonight, but I can't promise anything."

Babs nodded. "Right. Well, let's give it a try."

"Raven-" Beast Boy started to protest, knowing all of them were exhausted from the night of searching.

"Get some sleep, Gar," she said briskly, "I'll be there soon." She turned to address their other friends. "All of you should leave. I need absolute concentration." She turned to eye Bruce, challenging him. "Even you."

Bruce looked like he was about to argue, but he sighed after a moment. "Let me know as soon as there's progress," he told Raven, and then he and the others began to file out of the room.

Beast Boy paused in the doorway, eyeing Raven as she closed her eyes, her hands glowing again in a soft blue. He noticed the tired bags under her eyes, the lines of worry along her forehead. He didn't want to leave, he really didn't. He wanted to stay and beg her to get some rest.

At the same time, he knew he needed to trust her. She knew her own limits. Keeping that in mind, he slowly turned around and exited the room, leaving her to her work.

When he found sleep he dreamed of blood red lips, toxic green hair, and a caked white face. The face looked at him, watched him with hunger in its eyes.

Then it smiled.

Beast Boy woke with a start, breathing heavily. He sat up, rubbing sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand. He breathed in and out, forcing himself to calm down as reality set in. The only problem was his dream _could_ have been reality, and for Tim, it probably was. Now _he_ felt like he was going to puke.

"Gar," a small voice said, and Beast Boy started, not realizing Raven had been beside him. She must have snuck in some time during the night…er, afternoon. The sun was actually just starting to set outside. Their sleep schedules were all off.

Beast Boy lay back down and shifted closer to Raven. Her body was warm under the blankets. "How are you?" he murmured softly.

"I'm not the one who had a nightmare."

He grimaced. "Yeah well, the stress and all that."

He could feel her nodding against his shoulder. "Yes."

"Babs…is she…?"

"She'll be able to move about in a wheelchair by tomorrow."

He squeezed her tighter. "You're amazing." He paused as he remembered something. "Is your stomach feeling better?"

"A little," she murmured. "It was a combination of things, really. Stress, morning nausea…exhaustion," she admitted sheepishly.

"Told ya."

"Whatever."

He chuckled.

"Gar?"

"Yeah?"

He could feel her fingers tracing along his forearm. "I'm glad you've found yourself."

She didn't have to go into detail. He knew she was referring to his old alias, and really, so much more than that. "Me too," he whispered, squeezing her hand tightly.

~0~0~0~

Beast Boy and Raven rose again around mid-morning, having been asked to stay behind to check on Babs while Nightwing, Cyborg and Starfire continued the search. Batman had joined the latter group for most of the earlier hours in the morning, but he had also returned to speak to Babs. Raven had informed Beast Boy that the others would join them later.

As soon as she had woken up, Raven had left to give Babs her final healing session before she was transferred to her wheelchair. Beast Boy took the opportunity to take a much-needed shower, as well as see if Alfred needed any sort of help around the Manor. By lunchtime, everyone had reconvened in the Batcave to discuss a game plan.

"Out of the way, cripple coming through," Babs called as she wheeled herself to the center of the cave, coming to a stop before the monitoring systems.

"Good to see you're feeling better," Nightwing observed, a wry smile on his face.

Babs shot him a grateful look before turning her attention to Raven. "Thank you…for…for everything."

Raven nodded humbly.

"We need to find a way to make the search for Tim more efficient," Batman interjected, always one to cut right down to business. "He's been missing for more than 48 hours, and every moment we waste could mean life or death."

At the mention of Tim everyone in the room sobered. It was hard to imagine what could be happening to him as they all stood safely in the Batcave.

"What do you propose we do?" Nightwing asked his adoptive father.

Batman narrowed his eyes, an analytical expression on his face. "We need to locate Selina."

"Catwoman?" Beast Boy asked, confused. "Why?"

"Selina's known to play both sides of the field," Nightwing reminded him. "She might be able to tell us something we don't know."

"Shouldn't he already have his girlfriend's number or something?" Cyborg muttered to Beast Boy.

"Selina's like me. She's always had a rather…difficult time revealing too much," Batman said, glancing at Cyborg.

The robotic man blanched. "Damn bat hearing technology," he whispered uncomfortably.

Batman smirked for only a second before his mouth set in a hard line. "We should fan out, track her down as quickly as possible. Oracle will be our eyes and ears if we should encounter trouble."

"And who is this Oracle?" Starfire inquired, cocking her head to the side.

Babs beamed. "That would be me."

"So you'll be here feeding us all sorts of info?" Cyborg clarified.

"That's the idea," Oracle replied, wheeling herself over to a counter next to the control panels. Inside she pulled out five, small, metal chips. "Bruce has already got a piece in his suit, but these are for the rest of you. Just stick them in your ear, and I'll be able to reach you, wherever you are." The Titans each took their individual ear piece and followed Oracle's instructions. "Wish I could be out there looking with you," she admitted, but who knows, I might be more useful here than I ever was as Batgirl. Besides, Daddy Gordon and Jason have been begging me to call," she grinned at the mention of her father and her fiancé. This will give me time to let them know I'm doing alright."

As the former Titans, and Batman, prepared to leave the Cave, Beast Boy hesitated, saying he needed to check on something very quickly. He ignored Raven's questioning look as he sprinted back to their temporary room, leafing through his backpack. He visibly relaxed when he found what he was looking for. Everything had been a blur when Raven and him had packed for Gotham the other day; their minds had been numb with the horrible news they had received, so he wasn't sure if he had actually packed it or not. Sure enough, the small box was in his bag along with his change of uniforms.

He opened the box briefly, just offering himself a small glimpse of the silver ring inside before closing it again, hiding it in the confines of his pack, and then slipping out of the room.

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _In some versions of the comics, Babs is crippled for life and so she takes on the alter ego "Oracle" in order to aid other super heroes by feeding them information. I think that if she has to be crippled this is a good role for her to have instead of just throwing away hero work for good. I believe she actually meets Jason Bard after she is crippled, but in this story I had them already be engaged. Anyways, that's my fun fact for the chapter. The next update will be soon._


	12. Invitation

**Author's Note:**

 _I'm a very mediocre artist, but feel free to check out a few of my drawings on Deviantart. They are under the profile OkaaraGem. Also stay tuned because I will be adding animations to my deviant art profile...perhaps eventually a BB Rae kiss? I also take requests for animation ideas. My first animation will be posted by the end of this story! I'll give you an update to remind you to check it out :) I just have to figure out how to upload it...lol._

 _Just a reminder that I have decided to combine the storylines "The Killing Joke" and "Return of the Joker." I have chosen to incorporate Babs' paralysis, as well as Tim's kidnapping. Both of these things are canon._

~0~0~0~

Almost a week passed, and there was nothing. Every day Batman and the former Titans would split up and scour the city, looking for any signs of Robin or Catwoman. Then, on the sixth night since Tim's disappearance, Beast Boy found a lead.

"I think I'm picking up Catwoman's scent," he told Raven as they ran along the city's rooftops. "I caught a whiff of it from the wedding several months ago, so I know it's her."

"You could smell her all the way from inside the reception hall?" Raven questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Beast Boy winced. "She kinds smells like tuna," he admitted.

Raven paused. "Let's follow the scent; I think I have an idea." Beast Boy nodded, shifting into a bloodhound, but Raven held out her hand. "Try your cat form instead." Beast Boy lifted one of his floppy ears in a questioning way, but Raven shook her head. "Just a feeling," she explained. "Trust me."

Beast Boy had absolutely no idea where she was going with this, but he trusted her. Changing into a cat, he raised his head and sniffed the air, finding Catwoman's scent easily. He let out a meow and began to follow the trail, pausing every once in a while to take another whiff. Raven made sure to fly after him, but at a distance. He would never admit this out loud, but as a cat the fishy smell was actually quite pleasing.

That was until it blasted into his face.

"I thought I heard a kitty," a smooth voice drawled from the shadow of a skyscraper. A moment later a sleek woman dressed in all black leather sauntered into the moonlight. Her face was nearly completely covered; all save for her mouth and jawline. The uniform she wore accented her luxurious curves, and they only stood out more as she cocked her hip to the side, standing in a way that was entirely sensual. Beast Boy didn't need an introduction to know who this was.

Without another moment to waste, Beast Boy morphed back into his human form, and Raven emerged from behind him. The changeling watched as Catwoman's face dipped into disappointment at his transformation.

"We need to talk to you," Beast Boy told her. "It's important."

Catwoman pursed her lips. "Do I know you?"

"Batman sent us," Raven stated simply, and Catwoman crossed her arms.

"What does he want this time? A date to some dreadful gala? Usually he has the decency to ask me himself," she mused, half-jokingly.

"It's Robin," Beast Boy said, cutting to the chase. "He's been missing for almost a week."

Catwoman stiffened at the news. "And what would you have me do, Kitty?" she questioned the changeling.

"Batman wanted to know if you've heard anything. You gotta help him. He's totally freaking out-" Beast Boy winced as Raven nudged him, giving him a gentle reminder to be careful not to reveal too much about the man's emotional turmoil.

As Beast Boy watched Catwoman's upset expression, however, he found it very hard to believe that this woman couldn't be entirely trusted. She seemed just as shattered by the news of Tim's vanishing as the rest of them.

"Well," Catwoman said finally, "That is a shame."

"Do you know anything?" Raven asked carefully.

Catwoman turned to address Raven. "I can assure you if I did, I would not keep it to myself. I may like to have my own fun, but seeing harm come to the little bird is not something I would enjoy. I shall keep a look out though," she added. She stepped forwards, running a finger down Beast Boy's chest. "Especially for you, my little kitty cat." Catwoman turned gracefully on her heel and flipped off the building, disappearing into the darkness.

Beast Boy heard Raven mutter something about flirtatious cats, before she glanced up at him. "Well that felt like a waste of time."

He shrugged. "Maybe not. We have someone on the inside looking around now."

 _"Beast Boy, Raven, report,"_ Oracle's request rang out from the chips in their ears.

"We just spoke to Selina," Raven responded, holding a hand to her ear. "She didn't know anything, but she said she'd look around."

Oracle sighed. _"Damn. I really thought she'd be able to help. Bruce will be disappointed."_

"Any luck with the others?" Beast Boy inquired.

 _"No. Nothing. There are only so many places we can check before we start to repeat ourselves. There has to be something we're missing."_

"We'll find it," Beast Boy insisted fiercely. "We have to."

 _"I hope so. Anyways, Nightwing told me he and Cyborg are taking over the main search now. You two are welcome to return to base and get some rest. Do you copy?"_

"We copy. Thank you, Oracle," Raven said. She turned to Beast Boy the same time he let out an enormous yawn. "She's right. We should get some rest."

Beast Boy scratched his head. "I hear ya. I'm exhausted." He frowned, the expression creating deep lines in his forehead. "It feels like whatever we do, we aren't getting anywhere closer to finding him."

Raven placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know. I feel the same way, but we can't give up hope."

Beast Boy smiled at her. "Look at you, being all optimistic."

Raven rolled her eyes at him affectionately. "Don't get used to it."

The two made it back to the Manor a half an hour later. To be honest, Beast Boy was getting a little tired sneaking in and out of the mansion. At first it had been fun climbing into a window or having Raven faze them through a wall. After a while though, he found himself missing the days where he could just walk through the front door. Ah, well, alter egos and all that.

Both he and Raven went immediately to their room; they were far too exhausted these days to do much of anything else. That being said, when the door shut behind them the changeling grew an evil smile. As Raven removed her cloak and lay on her back, Beast Boy climbed over her, pausing at her belly to kiss it. If one looked ever so closely one could see the slight roundness that her stomach had taken on, but it was far too subtle for the average person to notice.

Raven's eyes shot open as Beast Boy smashed his lips to where her navel would be under her uniform, blowing out fiercely. The unexpected raspberry caused her to jolt, and with one swipe of her hand she knocked him to the floor.

"Aw come on Rae, the baby deserves some lovin' too," Beast Boy whined, rubbing his head.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You call _that_ loving?"

"Duh." Beast Boy climbed back onto the bed, but he gave her more space this time, now that he had had his fun. His elbow bent at an angle as he propped his head on his hand. He watched her tenderly, his eyes twinkling.

"What?" Raven asked, a little self-consciously.

Beast Boy shrugged. "Nothing. Just like watching you."

She sighed. "I'll never understand you," she remarked teasingly.

Beast Boy laughed. "Maybe I'll have a better chance with the baby."

Raven snorted. "If they ever turn out like you then Azar help us all."

The smile dropped from Beast Boy's face. His head lifted from his hand, and he stared at Raven, but this time for a different reason.

"What?" she questioned again, confused by his reaction.

He swallowed once, and then realizing his throat was still dry, coughed to clear it. Finally, when he was sure he could speak without his voice cracking he spoke. " _They?_ "

Raven's expression froze as she realized her slip up. She glanced away from him, at anywhere _but_ him, really, until he held her face in his.

"Rae?" he inquired, just to be sure.

Raven closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply before she focused on him. "I'm sorry. I know you wanted it to be a surprise."

Beast Boy shook his head in disbelief. "So…twins?"

Raven nodded slowly. "Yes. Twins."

The smile returned to his face in full force. "Sweet!" His grin wavered a bit as he watched her eyes moisten. "What's wrong?"

"How is it that half of what comes out of your mouth is utter nonsense, but you still manage to say just what I need to hear when the time is right?"

Beast Boy cupped her face and pressed his lips against hers. He pulled away, his mouth tugging up at one corner. "It's a gift." Raven moved in to kiss him again, but he held her back. "Boys or girls? Or one of each?"

"I thought you didn't want to know," she responded in surprise.

Beast Boy shrugged once more. "I can't help it. I'm too excited now."

Raven's smile could have lit up even the gritty, dark streets of Gotham. "One of each."

There was a lump in his throat and he couldn't explain why. All at once it felt so real, and even though he was scared out of his mind, he couldn't wait to meet them.

Unfortunately, this news was the only good news Beast Boy would hear for a long time. Days had passed without even a sign of Robin. By now it had been almost three weeks since the boy's disappearance. The time had been so long that Starfire had to leave for a couple of days to check in on Mar'i, not wanting to neglect her child. After she had returned she had informed all of them that she had run into Selina again.

"She informed me she had met with this Poison Ivy woman," Starfire explained to them in the Batcave. "She believed she could be useful, for they and Harley Quinn are part of a team?" Starfire glanced at Batman questioningly.

The Dark Knight, however, did not respond. Beast Boy could see that over time he had become more withdrawn, if that were even possible. He didn't sleep most nights-according to what he had heard from Alfred-instead he spent every waking hour scouring the city for Tim. Beast Boy didn't blame Batman for feeling the way he did. The man knew that in a way, his son's disappearance was his fault.

"In the past Catwoman paired up with Harley and Ivy to form the Gotham Sirens," Nightwing clarified. "All three of them have not been seen working together for sometime though."

"Well don't leave us in suspense," Oracle urged, her voice tense. "What did Ivy say?"

Beast Boy noticed Starfire seemed uncertain. "It appears the Poison Ivy has not had contact with Harley." All of them started to deflate, so she quickly added, "she did, however, inform Selina of several locations where she had seen Harley over the past several days. This is valuable information is it not?"

"Sounds like it," Cyborg said, crossing his arms.

"What are the locations?" Batman said suddenly, his voice gruff.

Starfire jolted; clearly surprised he had spoken up, as were the rest of them. "Um, I believe she mentioned the bay, and sectors in the financial district."

Batman strode over to Starfire, his jaw clenched. "Do you believe, or do you _know?_ "

"Bruce-" Nightwing started.

"She has to be absolutely positive. Tim is out there somewhere and we are no closer to finding him than we were when we started," Batman spat, finally losing control.

"You think I don't that?!" Nightwing snapped, crossing the cave to stand in front of his adoptive father. "You think it doesn't keep me up at night too? You aren't the only one with family on the line."

The two glared daggers at each other, and neither one seemed willing to back down. Fortunately, Raven was known to dissolve such tense situations.

"We all know you both have a lot to lose," Raven spoke calmly, causing the two men to turn to her, "but if you recall, some…have _already_ lost." At her words everyone glanced at Oracle, who was surveying both heroes with a disappointed look on her face. "Screaming at each other won't solve anything," Raven added.

"Raven's right," Oracle said, wheeling herself in front of Nightwing and Batman. "Fighting with each other isn't going to help. We all feel guilty, but it's what we do with that guilt that matters." Beast Boy watched in wonder as Barbara Gordon held her chin up high, and it became clear to him how strong she really was. "While you were squabbling I already entered in the locations Starfire mentioned. I suggest you get moving."

~0~0~0~

Beast Boy didn't have to be an empath to realize Raven was stressed, more so than usual. The two former Titans had taken one of the locations in the financial district. They were currently scanning rooftops yet again; Raven levitated while Beast Boy flew as a falcon. Ever since they had left the Batcave, Beast Boy could clearly see the tension in her shoulders. Finally, not being able to take it anymore, he transformed back into a human.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Did Nightwing and Batman shake you up earlier?"

She barely acknowledged him as she landed on the rooftop. Her eyes scanned the area; her hands glowed with black energy. Beast Boy, unnerved by her strange behavior, started to speak again, but she held her hand up to silence him. Moving forwards wordlessly, she slipped behind the corner of a building, Beast Boy right on her tail. As he rounded the corner, he ran into her outstretched arm.

"Look," she said quietly, and he did.

Straight ahead, about forty feet away from them, was a purple box. Confused, Beast Boy began to move towards it, but Raven held him back. She raised her right hand, cautiously. She held her pose for a moment before flicking her thumb, pointer and middle finger out rapidly, firing black energy that zinged off the box. As soon as her powers made contact with the mysterious object, music began to play as a jack-in-the-box emerged.

Beast Boy watched the child's toy with uneasy fascination. The jack's eyes were marked with two simple black X's, his costume painted in red. He bobbed back and forth with a deranged painted smile on its face. Everything about the sight was whimsically disturbing.

Beast Boy gasped and Raven jerked as a white object sprang towards them, but ended up landing harmlessly at their feet. Raven's hands lost their glow as she and Beast Boy stared down at the article of clothing in confusion. Beast Boy bent down to pick up the white material, holding up each end to examine it further.

"Raven," he said, turning to her, "do you think-"

"Gar!" she gasped, a second before the jack-in-the-box exploded into flames. Beast Boy would have been blown to smithereens if Raven hadn't grabbed him by the forearm and fazed him into the roof below. Once the blast had subsided, Raven remerged with Beast Boy, who still held the white uniform in his hands. "Are you alright?" she questioned.

Beast Boy nodded, his eyes never leaving the clothing, the _gown._ "We gotta call Batman about this," he said.

Twenty minutes later the team reconvened in a darkened alleyway. Beast Boy showed Batman the garment they had found while Raven explained to them what they had encountered.

"It was like some sort of game," the changeling added to Raven's explanation, once she had finished.

"It's more than a game," Nightwing said, gazing at the uniform Batman held.

"It was an invitation," Batman finished.

"From the Joker?" Starfire inquired.

"Can't imagine anyone else sending an invite like that," Cyborg mused, shaking his head.

"What does it mean though?" Beast Boy asked, scratching the back of his neck.

Batman's eyes narrowed. "I have an idea, but I just hope I'm wrong."

"Only one way to find out for sure," Nightwing said gloomily. "Oracle, do you copy?"

 _"Loud and clear. Hand the gown to Cyborg."_

"Me?" Cyborg questioned, raising his eyebrows. "Why?"

 _"If you scan the sediment attached to the gown I can double check the locations we have saved on file,"_ Oracle explained. _"Something tells me I might not even need to though,"_ she added, referring to Batman's intuition.

Nonetheless, Cyborg scanned the gown thoroughly. The group waited for Oracle to process the scan, and in less than ten seconds, they had their answer.

 _"Arkham Asylum,_ " Oracle confirmed. " _You were right Bruce_."

"Arkham Asylum?" Beast Boy squeaked.

"Man, I thought that place shut down ages ago," Cyborg said.

Nightwing frowned. "It did. It's completely inhabitable."

"Not for some," Batman said, turning to all of them. "I've figured out by now that even if I tell you all to stay behind, you won't listen." Batman paused as they all exchanged somewhat sheepish looks. "I can't stop you from coming with me, but I can stop you from going in blind."

"What's the plan?" Nightwing asked. Beast Boy was only mildly surprised by how Nightwing relinquished complete control to his former mentor. Then again, the possibility of potentially losing his brother was certainly cause for such a small sacrifice.

Batman began to explain his strategy, the others drawing closer in order to gather every small detail. When he had finished, Beast Boy shook his head in wonder. It was a really good plan. No wonder he was the Batman.

The changeling felt a surge of adrenaline pound through him at the thought of storming Arkham and saving Robin. Then reality set in. They were going in. To Arkham Asylum. To face the Joker.

Beast Boy turned to Raven, realizing that things could go horrible wrong. That they probably _would_ go horribly wrong. That by trying to save their brother, they would also be risking each other, and their future children.

Raven must have been feeling similarly, for she reached over and subtly squeezed his hand. Beast Boy took a deep breath.

They were going in.

~0~0~0~

Beast Boy winced in his sparrow form as Batman literally _drove through_ the iron gates in front of Arkham Asylum. The stress Batman was sure to be feeling had clearly built within the last hour. Beast Boy watched as Starfire flew in after the Batmobile, and moments later the vehicle stopped in front of the asylum's doors. Batman and Nightwing exited swiftly, and the three proceeded to enter the building through the front entrance.

Meanwhile Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg were instructed to hang back. The Joker was apparently known for his quick escapes, so they would monitor the outside perimeter of the asylum to ensure that did not happen. Oracle would also be their eyes if necessary. If the others were to face some sort of trouble, Starfire would send out a flare, and they would storm the building.

"I feel so useless being out here," Beast Boy said, transforming back.

"Man, same, but what can we do about it? None of us have faced the Joker before besides Wingz and Batman, and they both said stay out of the way."

"I take it that it would be a bad idea to split up?" Raven inquired. She tapped her ear. "Oracle?"

 _"Normally I would say yes, but from what I can see both Joker and Harley are in the heart of the building. Batman, Nightwing and Starfire are about to engage them. I'd spread out, make sure there aren't any exits they could slip out of."_

"Copy that," Cyborg said, turning to his friends. "You heard the woman, split up. And be careful," he added.

Beast Boy and Raven nodded and then Cyborg ran in one direction, disappearing around a stone corner. Beast Boy looked to Raven, embracing her tightly. "Be safe," he whispered, and she nodded again before phasing into the ground. Without another moment to waste, the changeling turned into a greyhound, trotting along the perimeter and searching for any sort of hole or vent.

A few minutes into his search, Beast Boy's ears shot up as he heard a faint humming coming from a large crack in the building. Unable to ignore the eerie noise, Beast Boy stuck his head in the fissure, his nose sniffing at the sediment. He stilled his movements, trying to pick up on the sound again. Almost immediately after he shoved his head through, the soft singing escalated in volume.

 _"And if that mockingbird won't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring…"_

The voice was female, that much was certain. Although the tune of the song was meant to be soothing, a series of chills caused Beast Boy's lithe form to shudder, and he stepped backwards until he was outside again.

He quickly turned around, kicking dirt and stone with his back hind legs. In minutes the crack was sealed, making escape from the inside impossible. Satisfied with his work, Beast Boy transformed back into a human around the same time Oracle made contact with him.

" _Beast Boy come in,"_ she called, her voice urgent.

Beast Boy placed a hand by his ear. "I'm here."

" _Hurry! Raven and Cyborg-"_

Beast Boy couldn't hear the rest, for at that moment a large noise exploded above him. His head snapped towards the sky in time to see a tremendous orb of green light fizzle into the darkness.

Starfire's flare.

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _Next chapter will focus on what they find inside, but we will mostly follow Raven and Beast Boy's part in this final battle, soon to come._


	13. Asylum

**Author's Note:**

 _It's gotten to that point in the story where I talk about potential new story ideas. As of right now I am not in the process of writing anything, nor do I have any definite ideas of what to write. That being said, here are two ideas I might consider:_

 _ **Potential New Story Ideas:**_

" _ **Tease" –**_ _Somewhere along the way, Beast Boy's teasing of Raven became flirting. (I've mentioned this idea before and I think it would be a fun, if relatively short fic.)_

" _ **Pool"**_ – _"Do you love me in the way that means forever, in a way that means we never have to find excuses?" Nightwing looked her dead in the eye. "No." An exploration of the pool scene between Nightwing and Starfire, and the series of events that result from his answer._

 _Hint: Red Hood and the Outlaws (redone tastefully of course)_

 _(I haven't written RobStar since I was about thirteen, so I would like to write a relatively short fic about them at some point because I've grown as a writer (maybe around 20,000 or 30,000 words? Let me know if this is something you would read.)_

 _I'm also taking suggestions for Rob/Star and BB/Rae stories. I would prefer BBRae if I had to choose, just because I'm getting excited with all this season 6 talk, and I'm hoping for a kiss. That being said I will gladly write both stories._

 _Finally, a couple of people have asked me about "To Kill a Robin." This was a short story I made in my drabble series "Ah, Young Love." It was a short blurb about Starfire finding new beginnings and exploring how she fell in love with Robin. To be honest it was just an idea, and I wasn't ever sure if I would expand on it. I don't have a ton of interest in messing with it, but if there is a high demand for that story I might reconsider._

 _Thank you to those who are reading this long note. Please let me know if you have any ideas you would like to see, or if you would like to read one of the stories listed above. If I decide to write another fic, I will add an updated author's note to the end of this fanfiction, so make sure you don't unfollow this story if you want to stay in the loop!_

 _Also rough draft animation is up of BB and Rae. Just check under OkaaraGem on Deviantart!_

~0~0~0~

Beast Boy sprinted through the dusted corridors of the asylum, his blood chilling as the sound of insane laughter and gunshots ringing through the air. His footsteps thudded, almost as loud as the blood pounding in his ears. Even in his cheetah form he was too slow. Finally, he burst through a pair of rusted metal doors into a theater room of sorts, turning back into a human and taking in the sight around him.

Raven and Cyborg were already there, having only arrived seconds before him. They stood just a few paces in front of him, frozen in shock. Goons in clown masks currently surrounded Starfire and Nightwing, who were fighting ferociously. Batman and Joker were up in the projector room, the sounds of breaking glass and high-pitched taunts echoing around the area. On the same level as Beast Boy, Harley Quinn sat on a cheap kitchen table covered with a tacky tablecloth. She had one leg crossed over the other, and a bazooka lay in her lap. She jiggled her leg impatiently as if she were waiting for something. That's not what kept Raven and Cyborg frozen, however, and with a turn of his head, Beast Boy found his answer.

There was a young boy next to Harley, if one could even call him that. His face was caked in white, his lips drawn back in a sneering smile, his eyes were wild, and his entire face was stretched back in a strained manner. Beast Boy watched as this child cackled with the most high-pitched and delirious laughter he had ever heard.

It was Tim.

"Robin?" Beast Boy said out loud, his eyes wide.

At the sound of his voice, Harley glanced up, her bored expression finally turning into one of glee. "Greenie's here, Greenie's here!" she cheered bounding to her feet. "Took ya long enough!" She swung the bazooka over her shoulder, and Beast Boy's heart dropped.

"Look out!" Cyborg cried, just as Harley fired.

Raven flew over Cyborg and Beast Boy, engulfing them in her raven just as the blast consumed the area where they had just been standing. They reemerged safely several feet from the blast.

Once Harley saw them reappear she frowned, dropping the bazooka to the floor. "Come on, Kid," she said, grabbing Robin by the arm and running through a side door.

"We have to go after them!" Beast Boy cried, already running towards the exit. He paused when he heard Nightwing cry out in pain, turning to see his friend fall to the ground as he was struck in the back.

"You two go," Cyborg ordered. "Nightwing and Starfire need help!"

Raven and Beast Boy both nodded before racing after Harley. "Did we lose them?" Beast Boy asked, his voice ringing with fear.

 _"Take two lefts and then you'll be out in a stone clearing,"_ Oracle said from their ears. _"Be careful though. The back of this place is on the edge of a cliff. The ground is extremely unstable."_

"Thank you Oracle," Raven said, her eyes narrowed in determination. "We'll take it from here."

The two followed Oracle's directions, and sure enough, they emerged into a dirt clearing. They slowed to a walk, their bodies tensed in case there was a trap. Raven let out a gasp as she was tugged backwards suddenly. Beast Boy whipped around to find that Robin had pulled Raven to the dirt. Beast Boy was about to come to her aid when he was knocked to the side with the force of what felt like a small automobile. He landed painfully several feet away, his head spinning, and his body aching.

When his vision cleared, he saw Harley standing with her hip cocked to the side, her hammer balanced on her shoulder. Beast Boy peered around her to see Raven halfheartedly knock Robin to the side with her powers, not wanting to hurt the boy, but not wanting to give him the upper hand either.

Robin fell to the ground, but hopped back up just as easily. He looked at Raven, and then Beast Boy and then Harley.

"Robin," Raven said. "It's me. Are you in there?" She cautiously reached her hand towards the boy. Robin watched her hand, the deranged smile still on his face, but he had ceased laughing. He paused for only a moment before something crossed his face.

And then he ran.

Harley, realizing there was a commotion behind her, turned her back on Beast Boy. The empath was still staring after Robin, who had disappeared back into the asylum. Harley stalked towards Raven, winding up to swing her hammer. Raven whipped around when she heard the woman approach. Summoning her words, she used her powers to throw rocks at the crazed woman. Harley laughed at her attempts, dodging the attack easily.

"Aw, come on! You ain't making this any fun at all!" she taunted, twirling her hammer around.

Raven put up a force field to protect herself, just as the hammer came crashing down. Beast Boy struggled to get up and help Raven, but he was still too injured to lift himself up. He knew Raven could handle herself, but Harley's hammer was powerful, and he and Raven were running on minimal energy as it was.

Finally, to his horror, Harley swung again and Raven's force field faltered. It was brief, but it was enough time for the hammer to smash through the barrier and slam into Raven's chest. The empath sailed backwards, landing with a sickening thud on the ground where she lay motionless.

Beast Boy's heart plummeted, but only for a moment.

Upon seeing Raven's crumpled form on the ground, he had the sudden urge to tear Harley, to rip her to shreds. How _dare_ she hurt his mate? Watching her attack Raven, attack _his children_ made something in him snap. And then the Beast came out.

In a matter of seconds the Beast collided with Harley, the villainess letting out a surprised shriek. Dropping her hammer as they fell to the ground, the pair rolled violently towards the precipice of the clearing. They surged over the cliff side, falling several feet before the Beast grabbed ahold of a distended stone.

Harley held onto the Beast's fur, all amusement gone from her face. The Beast peered over at the villainess, slowly reaching down. Harley shrieked.

"Don't kill me, come on, come on, I ain't messing around Greenie, don't do it!" she yammered, her breath coming out wildly now.

Oh how he wanted to, he really did. But then again… _Remember yourself, Gar._

He never found out if he would have let her go, for at that moment Harley lost her grip on his fur. She dropped like a stone, letting out a blood-curdling scream. She disappeared into the darkness, so far down that he didn't even hear a thud.

It was all over so quickly. Except it wasn't over.

Clawing his way up the cliff, the Beast threw himself back onto solid ground, instantly turning back into his human self, his clothing completely shredded. Unable to stand, he crawled towards Raven, frustrated tears rolling down his face because he couldn't get to her faster.

When he finally made it to her, he held her face, shaking her gently and sobbing when she did not stir. He felt as though he would have completely lost his mind had his ears not picked up the sound of her heart beating. The strong thrum radiating from her chest made it apparent she was very much alive, but it still worried him that she did not stir.

A scream jolted him from his thoughts. Starfire. He tensed, knowing the others could be in there, dying, while he sat out here. At the same time, how could he leave Raven in this condition?

Raven mumbled something then, her eyes still closed. His head snapped down to her. She murmured the same sound again, and Beast Boy thought it sounded something like "Gar."

"Rae, you're okay, you're okay," he said gently, running his hands over her. He ran them over her shoulders and her waist, over her back and her hips. Anywhere but her stomach. He couldn't bear to think about that right now.

She opened her eyes and muttered the sound again; over and over again until he realized she wasn't saying "Gar," she was saying, _"Go."_

He shook his head, fresh tears pooling in his eyes. "I-I can't."

She stared at him hard then, her eyes boring into him. The look she gave him told him it wasn't a request. The look said 'trust me.' The look said 'I'll never forgive you if you don't.'

"Go," she said again, more urgently this time, and she squeezed his hand.

Beast Boy stared down at the woman in his arms, thinking about all the things that had led them here. His mind went back to the cave of all things, to when the only time she was in his life was when she was a five-minute call in a darkened cavern. Now she _was_ his life.

That was why it was the hardest thing he ever had to do, when he stood up and left her there.

As he stumbled back through the asylum corridors on his way to the theater room, it crossed Beast Boy's mind that he might not even be much use in his condition. His body ached from Harley's hammer, and his clothes were completely shredded along his arms and legs. He was unfocused and an emotional mess, and with every step he contemplated running back to Raven.

But his friends needed him.

Bursting into the theater room he transformed into a rhino and charged the Joker's henchmen, knocking twenty of them into the wall. Starfire, Nightwing and Cyborg fought alongside him, their faces covered in blood and dirt. Starfire's hair was singed in various places, and a long burn ran across her abdomen. Beast Boy whipped around as he felt a fiery heat graze his back, discovering that one of the goons had a flamethrower.

Changing into a falcon, he soared above the flames, narrowly avoiding the inferno. While the goon was focused on Beast Boy, Starfire blasted him with her eye beams, sending the masked man tumbling into a wall.

Beast Boy changed back into himself for only a moment. "Where's-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence, for at that moment all of the goons turned and fled. They ran as if their lives depended on it, and only after they had gone did Beast Boy look down and realize why.

 _"Watch out-"_ Oracle's voice rang in their ears.

"No!" Nightwing shouted, right before the gas bombs exploded.

The clouds engulfed the four heroes, penetrating their noses and mouths before they had a chance to escape. When the smoke cleared, Beast Boy was on his side, his right cheek smashed against the concrete floor, his body unable to move.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Starfire's motionless hand and the back of Cyborg's foot. Like him, all of his friends were completely paralyzed.

Beast Boy's breathing came out in pants as a sharp laughter pierced the air. Joker emerged almost immediately after, his lips bleeding heavily, his teeth stained with blood. His knuckles tensed as he held Batman by the uniform, dragging him to the center of the room. In his other hand he gripped a gun. Beast Boy's heart stopped.

Little footsteps came next, and then Robin was there, the insane look still gracing his features. Batman stared at his adopted son, his expression sad and defeated.

"Well this has been enormous fun, Batman. I even got to meet some of your little friends!" Joker taunted gleefully. "We really must get this show on the road though, family matters and all that. Here you go Jay-Jay!" Joker tossed the gun into Robin's hands, and then adjusted his grip on Batman's uniform, holding him in place.

Robin caught the gun easily, looking back and forth from Batman to Joker.

"Tim," Batman said softly in his last attempt to find his son, "Please."

 _Don't do it, Dude. Come on, Tim_ , Beast Boy thought desperately, unable to aid Batman, or even look away.

Robin raised the gun, giggling insanely. He pointed the gun at Batman, his finger on the trigger. He hesitated, his fingers still twitching against the gun.

"Do it!" Joker spat, getting impatient.

So he did.

Shifting the gun to the right at the last moment, Robin fired. The bullet landed square into Joker's chest, and the villain toppled backwards onto a storage box. He lifted his head, his expression shocked. Beast Boy watched the dying man take his last breaths.

"That's not funny," Joker wheezed, his voice wet with blood. "That's not-" he choked, sputtered, and then became still.

Silence. And then-

"Tim," Batman choked from the ground, still too weak to move.

Suddenly new footsteps pounded from Beast Boy's right, and his heart sank once more. What else could be thrown at them? His spirits lifted after a moment though as he caught a scent in the air, and his eyes became wet when he realized it was Raven. She ran into the room, too injured to use her powers to levitate. She surveyed the scene in horror, but her terrified expression lessened after she must have sensed they were all still alive. Once Beast Boy knew she had discovered they were only paralyzed, she ran over to Robin, whose laughter had abruptly turned to sobs. As the tears fell down his face in rivers, she held him to her chest.

"It's okay Tim," she whispered, making helpless eye contact with Beast Boy. "It's okay."

Beast Boy watched as her own eyes became wet, watched as Batman finally crawled over to comfort Tim, and the changeling wondered just how much of her statement was true.

~0~0~0~

Tim was taken to a special hospital unit in Wayne Manor. Everyone else was treated for his or her individual injuries. The instant Raven landed in her hospital bed, she fell into a trance. Beast Boy was actually relieved to see her that way; it meant that whatever damage was inflicted, she could heal it.

It took her two full days before she rose again. As soon as she was awake she went to Tim's unit, using her powers to assess the damage on his mind. Batman, Nightwing and Oracle went in with her, of course. Beast Boy decided to hang back, wanting to give the family privacy.

Even so, he needed to talk to Raven about his _own_ family, well, future family anyway. She hadn't said anything to him about the state of her pregnancy. He didn't blame her for not finding him after she had woken up. Tim was on all of their minds, and he needed to be treated as soon as possible. But Beast Boy couldn't stop the anxiety from seeping into his brain. The sooner he could talk to her the better.

Deciding he needed some fresh air, Beast Boy opened the door to his bedroom and made his way onto the balcony. The sky was tinged with pink as the sun began to set. He sighed, leaning against the railing and looking out at the horizon.

"Mind if I join you?"

Beast Boy started, not expecting Nightwing to be there. "Uh, yeah sure," he said, scooting over so his friend had somewhere to stand. They stood in silence for a few moments. Beast Boy wanted to ask about Tim, but he was honestly afraid to. Even so, his desire to know the boy's condition outweighed any other anxiety he felt. "Is he…?"

"He'll be okay," Nightwing said softly, smiling a little. "Raven's helping him, but a lot of it has to be done on his own."

"That's good…that he'll be okay, I mean," Beast Boy responded, nodding to himself.

Nightwing looked at him. His mask furrowed in a way that made Beast Boy believe he was debating whether or not to say something. "During the battle…you and Raven went off with Harley. Did she…?"

Beast Boy swallowed. "She hurt Raven and…the Beast…we were hanging there and she tried to hold on but…" he paused, his fists clenching. "I was reaching down to her."

"To save her?"

Beast Boy frowned, the lines running deep along his face. "That's the thing. I don't know if it was to save her or to…finish her." Nightwing didn't respond, so he kept going. "She hurt Raven so badly, and I just wanted to…but I didn't…but I _could_ have-"

"There's no point in wondering," Nightwing said, glancing at Beast Boy.

"Shouldn't it matter though?" Beast Boy asked, guilt seeping into his voice. "I mean…I'm supposed to be a hero and all that."

"There's _supposed_ to be a line. Between hero and villain. But that line is rarely clear."

"Have you ever…killed before?"

Nightwing frowned. "Batman's the one who made the vow not to kill, not me…but no, I haven't."

Beast Boy watched Nightwing, and it suddenly occurred to him how much his friend had grown. "Would you though?"

Nightwing stared back, directly into Beast Boy's eyes. "I would for my family."

Beast Boy believed him.

Nightwing sighed, staring out at the sunset. "Thank you. For helping Tim. For helping my whole family, really."

"They're my family now too. I would do anything for Tim."

"I know," Nightwing smiled. "It's funny, seeing us all work together again. We really do make a good team." Nightwing paused. "Sometimes…sometimes I wonder if it would be possible to…to get the team back together, you know?" He chuckled a bit. "I know it doesn't make any sense."

Beast Boy smiled back. Less than a year ago he would have given anything to hear those words from Nightwing. He would have spent hours wondering if the best times in his life could finally be brought back.

"I know what you mean, Dude," he replied finally. He turned his face so he could feel the warm rays of the sun. "But you know what? I think things worked out for the best. The Titans…it was awesome and all, but you've got a family now." Beast Boy grinned at his friend. "And you're gonna be a great Dad."

Nightwing smiled softly at Beast Boy before placing a hand on his shoulder. "You will too, Gar."

Beast Boy froze. "W-what?"

Nightwing chuckled. "Starfire figured it out after Raven became sick the other day. She, Cyborg and I have been debating it for days."

Beast Boy laughed, then sobered when he remembered the events from the past few days. "I'm really nervous about Rae," he admitted. "Harley hit her with that hammer pretty freaking hard and it's all I can think about."

"I would feel the same if it were Starfire," Nightwing told him, "but if it helps, you have to remember our girls are pretty damn strong. It would take a lot more than a hammer to shake them."

Beast Boy's eyes became damp, and he blinked the tears away before they could properly form. "Yeah. You're right."

"I'm really glad you found each other," Nightwing continued. "It…took me longer than the others to figure it out I'll admit…but now that I see you two together, you really are suited for one another. You must really love her."

Beast Boy felt his chest grow warm. "I'm going to marry her," he said, his voice filled with more confidence than he had ever felt in his life.

Nightwing's face broke into a huge grin. "Now _that_ I could guess."

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:** _Tons of fluff/romance in the next chapter!_


	14. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

 _Please see chapter thirteen to vote on my ideas for a new story, or you can review/PM suggestions of fics you would like to see! Just a reminder I will post an updated author's note at the end of this story if I decide to work on another project. It seems so far a lot of you have interest in the "Pool" story. If I did decide to work on that would you want Starfire to ultimately end up with Dick? Roy? Jason? I have my own opinions on the matter but I want to hear from you as well. Just curious! Now without further ado, enjoy!_

~0~0~0~

Beast Boy found her in their room at Wayne Manor a few hours later. He noticed she was deep in a meditative trance, so he moved over to the other side of the room so as not to disturb her. Of course he was never the most graceful, so as soon as he began tiptoeing he knocked over his backpack and its contents fell onto the floor with a crash.

He winced as she opened an eye, but calmed a bit when he recognized her look of amusement. After he had scrambled to put everything back in his backpack-he counted his lucky stars that the ring had stayed in place-he came to sit beside her on the ground as she levitated back down to the floor.

"How ya doing?" he asked cautiously. "You aren't like…drained or anything?"

"Attempting to heal a mind is a difficult thing," she explained, referring to her remedial sessions with Tim. "I've been better, but I'm okay, and more importantly, so is Tim." She gave him a small smile.

Beast Boy swallowed. "Does that mean…?" his voice faltered, and he found he couldn't complete the sentence.

Her eyes shone with affection. "They're going to be okay, Gar."

Almost immediately after Beast Boy threw his arms around her, squeezing her tight. "That's just…wow. That's just so… _wow._ " He couldn't even find the words to describe his relief. He took her face in his hands and kissed her on the mouth over and over again until she whacked the side of his head indignantly. He drew back, still holding her cheeks in either hand. Looking at her now, with her tangled hair and her tired but happy eyes, he found he couldn't wait a moment longer. "Close your eyes," he told her.

She cocked an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Beast Boy shook his head, smiling. "Just do it."

Raven scoffed, but closed them like he had requested. He moved away from her, crawling over to his backpack and leafing through it once more. He glanced over his shoulder and frowned when he caught her lifting an eyelid.

"NO PEEKING!"

"Azar, alright!" she amended, shutting both eyes firmly.

Beast Boy's hand sifted through the bag for a few more seconds before it closed around that familiar box. He lifted the object out of his bag and scooted over until he was next her once more.

"Okay, you can look now."

She opened her eyes, and her gaze immediately fell to the open box in his hands. The simple, silver ring glimmered in the light of the room. She appeared to take in his pose, a kneel of sorts, although it was rather difficult to achieve due to the fact they were both already on the floor. Her expression was unreadable, which completely terrified him but also spurred him on.

"Being with you has been t-totally awesome these months, and like, I think about the cave when we talked all those months ago and like-" he paused clearing his throat, "I wanna be with you always, Rae. I wanna raise our kids with you and laugh with you and annoy you forever. Is…what do you say, Rae-Rae?" He grinned weakly, knowing he wasn't the most eloquent but hoping she knew how sincere he was.

Raven blinked at him. She stared at him. Her eyebrows crinkled. Her eyes twinkled. Then her lips parted.

And she answered.

~0~0~0~

 _Two months later._

It was strange how one moment you could feel so lost and then the next it didn't even matter if you had no idea where you were going. All it took was the straightening of a bowtie, the echoing of a church, a pat on the back from your cybernetic best friend-and best man. When the music played and the doors opened, when the small gathering of friends, old and new, stood up from their seats in the pews, when Starfire, dressed in her maiden of honor gown, flew behind the bride gathering up her dress, when Dick walked the woman in white down the aisle, her arm in his, everything became a background note but her.

There she was, dressed in a simple, quaint wedding gown that was so entirely Raven. Her stomach was round enough now that people tended to sneak second glances at her abdomen, just to be sure. When she entered with that veil covering her face, the changeling heard Vic whistle lowly, heard Babs, Sarah and Rita burst into tears.

He almost lost it himself. It certainly didn't help that he couldn't stand it when his adoptive mother cried, but thankfully these were happy tears. Not for the first time, he was glad the wedding was kept on the down low, so those in attendance could go as themselves.

As Raven walked down the aisle with Starfire in tow, he caught the eye of Mento. Even dressed in a suit, his adoptive father would always be Mento to him. His former leader met his gaze. He didn't smile, he didn't nod, but Gar could see the thin gloss of tears in his eyes, and that was all he needed to see.

Cliff and Larry watched in confusion as Wally swayed to the music pouring through the cathedral, and Gar had a sneaking suspicion the redhead had pregamed the reception.

Bruce and Selina stood on the other side of the pew. Selina smiled while Bruce nodded at Gar. Mar'i sat in her grandfather's lap, floating up above him every few minutes. The changeling couldn't wait to tell people that _Bruce Wayne_ had attended his wedding…well…he couldn't exactly _tell_ anybody that didn't know about Batman, but he still had internal bragging rights.

The green hero smiled as Tim leaned over and whispered his congratulations again. The boy was still in the process of recovering, but he was getting stronger and stronger every day. Gar was glad he was able to join the festivities.

Raven finally met him at the altar, and Starfire and Dick separated to join their respective groups, Starfire giving a small wave to Mar'i, who continued floating above Bruce's lap.

Gar knew weddings were a day to remember, but honestly he was so nervous and excited he almost blanked during the ceremony. When he placed the ring on Raven's finger, he did so gently, as if he thought she would break. When he said his vows, he said them in a quiet manner-unusual for him-so that only she could hear. Then when he finally kissed her, officially sealing their matrimony, he held her tightly so she knew he would never be the same again.

 _16 months later._

Beast Boy's ears twitched at the sounds of little feet, two pairs of four. Raven and he had known their children's powers would be completely random, for mixing a changeling and a half-demon was sure to get some interesting results. As Beast Boy watched his twins trample up and down as fawns, their pelts the color of frosted pine, he was filled with a sense of pride that they had both inherited his changing abilities.

That's not to say they didn't acquire any of their mother's powers. Their son had a nifty habit of phasing through solid objects. His sister, remarkably, was able to heal anyone's cuts and bruises acquired from playing in the blink of an eye. It was too soon to tell what other abilities they had inherited from Raven, but the two parents had the sneaking suspicion both children were also empaths.

Beast Boy watched as the two little fawns wobbled around the ops room of Titans' Tower, until they finally shifted back into their human forms. They were still so young, that as humans they were far clumsier than in their animal forms. Beast Boy knelt down beside each of them, smoothing over the dark tufts of hair on their heads.

To anyone else, the complexion of his children might give the impression that they were nauseous, for they each had a traditionally sickly color for skin. Beast Boy thought it was one just of the many things that made them beautiful.

"They're pretty great, huh Rae?" he said, turning to face his wife. She sat on the sofa watching her family with a content smile on her face. Her uniform had changed again, this time to a white that reminded Beast Boy of the time she had saved the Earth from Trigon. He had asked her why she had decided to make the switch, but she had just smiled and shook her head. Beast Boy suspected it was an empath thing, but he couldn't help but feel it was because she was at peace in Nevermore.

"Oh yeah, _three_ animals running around the house. So great," Raven responded dryly, but her eyes were bright as she looked at her children. She rose from the couch to sit on the floor beside Beast Boy, reaching over to gently pick up her daughter who had toppled over in excitement.

"Maybe we should invite Mar'i over for a play date some time," Beast Boy mused, absently wiping some dribble from his son's face. Ever since the former Titans had fought together in Gotham, all friends had made an effort to arrange visits at least once a month.

"I agree. Perhaps Tucker can join as well," Raven added, referring to Cyborg and Sarah's adopted son, named after Cyborg's grandfather.

Beast Boy knew little about Cyborg's relationship with his grandparents, although he suspected it was complicated. When he had inquired about his friend's son's name, Cyborg replied that sometimes you don't realize people have a place in your heart until after they're gone.

Beast Boy supposed he could understand that. Nobody was perfect, including his own parents. His father especially had done some questionable things; things that had strained his relationship with his wife and altered his only son permanently. Despite his flaws, Mark Logan would always be one of Beast Boy's favorite people, and the reason he was even _Beast Boy_ at all. Maybe that was why he and Raven had named their son after him.

Their daughter, Arella, on the other hand was named for a different reason. Beast Boy knew Raven was never close with her mother-she referred to her by her first name after all-yet she was adamant in naming their daughter after her. Raven had told him why once. It had been in the middle of the night, probably when she assumed his brain would be too fuddled from sleep to remember. She had said Arella had reminded her of her human self, the self she loved the most, the self that grounded her and made her believe it was possible for her to have another destiny other than destruction.

As Beast Boy watched his children stumble over each other in play, he reached over to take Raven's hand. She squeezed back immediately, giving him a look that let him know she loved him, that she was proud of their children, and that she was glad they had ended up here together.

It let him know he had found home a long time ago.

The End.

~0~0~0~

 **Author's Note:**

 _Thank you to all my readers. I loved writing this fanfiction. I only wish there was some record of Cyborg and Beast Boy and Raven's children, but alas, there does not appear to be any, except in our imaginations. This is what I interpreted it to be. As for their names, since there is again no record of their children, I thought it made sense to stick with the material already provided since I like to make sure future generations are incredibly canon. You should check out Shock777 on Deviantart if you haven't already. Her art of Beast Boy and Raven's children is so realistic it's what I can imagine them only to be._

 _Please let me know if there is a story you would like to see me work on. As of right now, as I have said before, I have no immediate plans to work on a new story unless I'm inspired. So please let me know! Until next time, and thank you readers for making this worth it to write._


	15. Author's Note: Next Project

**Author's Note:**

 _Hello, all my beautiful readers. Due to popular demand, I have decided to go ahead and start writing "Pool," which will be an exploration of the series of events that follows the infamous scene where Dick tells Kory he doesn't love her in the same way she loves him._

 _While this story is Starfire-centric and will involve a lot of her adventures including the Outlaws (which will play a major part) the other Titans will eventually also be involved in the second half of the story._

 _I have not written anything Kory or Dick related since I was thirteen, so I would like to try my hand at another story of them, now that I am more "mature." (allegedly)_

 _I am well aware the comic of Red Hood and the Outlaws portrayed Starfire in a less than flattering light. I will try to keep the plot of some of the material relatively canon, however I will obviously make some major changes to present Starfire in a less insulting way._

 _Many of you may be wondering who Starfire will be paired with in this story. Will this ultimately be a Dick and Kory story? Will her and Roy start a physical relationship like they did in the comic? Will her and Jason's bonding and midnight talks turn into something more?_

 _I will not reveal whom she does/doesn't ultimately end up with, however it should be noted that I am omitting the Roy hook up relationship. I do not believe this is a realistic characterization of either character, especially since Roy knows Dick very well._

 _Some of you have mentioned you would like to see the possibility of a Jason/Kory relationship rather than a Roy/Kory one. I personally enjoy Roy and Jade together. That being said, I am not entirely ruling out an eventual Kory/Roy relationship, but many of you seem to be leaning towards an either Jason/Kory or Dick/Kory relationship, so maybe you agree with my take. Feedback is appreciated on this issue. I would be curious to see how many people would like her romance to go a certain way._

 _Finally, I do not know when this story will be posted. Please be patient; I like to complete the entire story before I start posting, so that way I can update frequently. The story could be done in a few weeks, or it could be done in a few months. As for the length, I'm picturing at least 30,000 words, although I really have no idea._

 _Thank you for reading this message. If you would like to know more about the story feel free to PM me with questions._

 _Until next time,_

 _XXGUSHINESSXX_


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